Chapter 908 - 908: Royal breakfast

Julian finished washing and reached for the towel Riya held out to him. Their fingers barely touched before she withdrew her hand.

She stood quietly beside him, her eyes lowered and her posture perfectly straight. Every movement was careful and measured. Even her breathing seemed controlled, as though she feared that the smallest mistake might draw unwanted attention.

"Where are you from, Riya?"

"Dunmere, young lord. It's a river town, two days south along the Merrow Road."

Julian paused, recalling a few fragments from Kraven's memories.

"I know Dunmere. Is your family still there?"

"My father is. He works in the ferry." She hesitated briefly before continuing. "My mother died when I was twelve."

"I'm sorry."

"It was a long time ago, young lord."

She said it quickly and evenly, as though she had repeated those words to enough strangers that they no longer required any thinking.

Julian picked up his shirt from the chair and slipped his arms into it. Riya stepped forward to help with the buttons, working from the bottom up without once touching his skin. Her hands were cold, and her movements precise.

"Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"One brother. His name is Tomas. He's eleven and works as an apprentice to a blacksmith in town."

For the first time, something in her expression softened. The corner of her mouth lifted into a small, crooked smile.

"He hates it, though."

"Does he?"

"He wanted to travel the world, just like my father. But Father told him the river already takes enough from us." Her smile lingered for another moment. "Now he spends his days hammering metal and complaining to anyone foolish enough to stand still and listen."

Julian glanced at her.

"That sounds like a difficult life."

"For the people who have to listen to him, certainly."

The answer came so naturally that Julian almost smiled.

Then Riya seemed to remember herself. Her expression settled, and her hands returned to work.

Julian let the silence linger before asking, "Does the ferry run all year?"

"Most of the time. In spring, the water rises too high, and Father sometimes refuses to cross for days. We eat whatever we have in the cellar and wait for the river to settle."

"That must make things difficult."

"We manage, young lord."

There it was again. The careful answer, delivered with the same "script" as everything else she said.

Julian said nothing more about it, but his thoughts had already moved elsewhere.

Kraven had once been stranded at the Dunmere landing for three days in autumn. The water-level had risen too high for the ferry to cross, and the ferryman had refused to take him despite Kraven's threats.

The river was very dangerous during autumn, when heavy rains from the mountains sent its waters rushing downstream. By spring, however, the water level fell, leaving the old ford shallow enough for people to cross on foot.

A girl raised in Dunmere would know those things as naturally as she knew her own name.

So Tomas was probably real. The rest might be a story built around him.

People who invented false lives rarely made every part of them a lie. It was easier to anchor a fabrication to something true.

Riya stepped away to fetch his coat.

Julian extended a thin thread of mana and let it brush her shoulder as she turned.

Her expression did not change.

But what he sensed beneath the surface made him narrow his eyes. Her mana was compressed so tightly that it felt like a fist held inside a pocket. It was perfectly concealed and hidden and controlled.

She returned with the coat, and Julian took it from her hands.

"Is something wrong, young lord?"

"No. It's good."

And it was. The coat was dark blue, with silver stitching along the collar and the Astran crest embroidered discreetly over the heart.

Kraven's old wardrobe was full of black, wrinkled clothes - the kind worn by a man who preferred to go unnoticed. This outfit, however, had been chosen for a different reason. Whoever had sent it to the tailor knew what a duke's son was expected to wear on the morning of a royal visit.

The royal family was downstairs. The house needed to present a son worth keeping.

Riya knelt to straighten the hem of his coat. As she worked, her eyes wandered across the room before stopping at the bed.

The sheets were messy and twisted, as if someone had spent the night tossing and turning.

Riya paused. The morning air was cold, yet a faint scent of lavender oil lingered near the bed. It was a soft, sweet fragrance, one that reminded her of a woman's perfume.

Then her expression closed.

"Shall I change the linens, young lord?"

"Leave them."

"Of course."

She rose and moved to the door, holding it open for him. Her face had returned to its usual composure, but Julian doubted the matter would be forgotten so easily.

Whatever report she intended to deliver, that scent would find its way into it.

**

In the main hall, morning light filtered through the tall windows, laying pale bars across the stone floor. Somewhere beyond the corridor, a plate struck the ground and shattered. The entire hall fell silent for a heartbeat before the servants resumed their work, quieter than before.

A steward opened the dining room doors.

Julian stepped inside.

The long table had been laid before him. White cloth covered the polished wood, silverware gleamed beside the plates, and steam rose from the freshly baked bread. At the head of the table stood an empty chair of dark carved wood, taller than the others.

The rest of the family had already gathered.

The Duke sat to the right of the empty chair, his back straight and his hands resting flat on the table.

He looked up as Julian entered.

Something flickered behind his eyes, but it was gone before Julian could make sense of it.

Then the Duke turned his attention to the wall behind his son.

Olivia sat opposite him, dressed in deep green with her hair pinned neatly up. She wore the composed expression expected of a duchess and greeted Julian with a small, polite nod.

"Good morning, Julian."

"Good morning, Mother."

Her voice was calm and her eyes remained intently locked with him for few moments before she turned away.