Chapter 310: Attending To The Visitor

In the meantime, while Lady Regina continued inspecting the training, a voice suddenly sounded behind her.

"My Lady."

Regina turned her head slightly and found a female attendant approaching from the entrance of the hall. The young woman wore the customary dark uniform of the castle’s household staff, her hair neatly arranged beneath a modest headpiece.

Despite her position as a servant, there was a subtle sharpness in her eyes, reflecting years of training and vigilance—the qualities expected of anyone raised within House Noctivane’s walls.

She slowed as she approached, then lowered her head respectfully.

"What is it?" Regina asked. Her voice was cool and measured, revealing little of her thoughts.

"Forgive the interruption, my Lady. A visitor has arrived at the castle."

The attendant spoke quietly, but Regina detected a trace of hesitation beneath her composed delivery. Her grey eyes shifted towards the young woman, and one brow lifted.

"A visitor? And who could that be?"

Her surprise was hardly unwarranted. Unlike other noble Houses, which often cultivated relationships through social gatherings and frequent visits, House Noctivane rarely entertained outsiders.

They were not particularly fond of receiving friends, acquaintances or even distant relatives without a compelling reason.

An assassin could hardly afford a heart too readily occupied by sentimental attachments or the distractions of ordinary social obligations.

Trust was a valuable commodity, and the House had never been inclined to distribute it generously.

"Lady Seraphina, my Lady," the attendant replied.

Regina’s gaze sharpened.

"She arrived moments ago and is presently being received in the eastern reception chamber. The guards are awaiting your instructions."

For a brief moment, Regina remained silent. Then she repeated the name, her expression almost unchanged.

"Lady Seraphina?"

It was not that she had failed to hear the attendant. Rather, she wanted to confirm that the visitor was indeed the matriarch of House Valehart and not another member of the family bearing a similar name.

"Yes, my Lady. It is Lady Seraphina herself."

The attendant answered with sufficient certainty to leave no room for misunderstanding. Regina’s expression shifted only slightly, although a faint crease appeared between her brows, betraying her surprise.

"Did she announce the purpose of her visit?"

"No, my Lady. She merely stated that she wished to meet with you personally and did not offer any further explanation. She was accompanied by several knights, and their carriage is presently stationed outside the main entrance."

The additional information might have seemed unnecessary to an ordinary host, but within House Noctivane, caution was not a mere habit. It was an institutional necessity, practised even when dealing with the matriarch of another Great House.

An unexpected visitor accompanied by armed retainers was never simply a social occurrence. It was a circumstance to be assessed before it was welcomed.

Regina considered the report. Lady Seraphina’s unannounced arrival, coupled with the modest size of her entourage, already suggested that the visit was not intended as a public display of status.

The Valehart matriarch had come with a particular purpose, and Regina suspected she knew what it concerned. Unfortunately, it was precisely the sort of matter she would rather not discuss in the middle of an already complicated morning.

For several moments, her grey eyes remained fixed upon the trainees, who continued their exercises, seemingly unaware of the unexpected and distinguished visitor their House had just received.

Wooden blades struck against one another, instructors issued corrections, and the occasional scrape of boots crossed the stone floor. The ordinary rhythm of training continued, indifferent to the affairs unfolding beyond the hall.

At last, Regina looked back at the attendant.

"Very well. We must not keep such an important visitor waiting. I shall see her now."

She briefly turned towards the instructor who had been correcting the young trainee’s stance.

"Continue with the exercises. I do not wish to return and discover that the entire hall has become idle simply because I am absent."

The instructor bowed promptly in response.

"Understood, my Lady."

Although his reply was formal, a faint note of apprehension coloured his voice. Everyone in the hall knew Regina’s expectations, and none wished to become the subject of her displeasure.

Her absence was hardly an invitation to relax; if anything, it merely removed the possibility of receiving an immediate correction and left the instructors responsible for maintaining her standards.

Regina turned back towards the attendant.

"Have the meeting room prepared. I shall receive her there."

"At once, my Lady."

The young woman bowed before departing at a brisk pace. Regina remained where she was for another moment, her attention returning to the trainees.

One of the instructors had already resumed correcting the young man’s footing, while the other pairs continued their drills with renewed concentration. Satisfied that the hall would not descend into idleness, she finally turned towards the exit.

Lady Seraphina’s arrival was certainly unusual, particularly given the circumstances currently surrounding House Noctivane. The two families maintained cordial relations, although their interactions were neither frequent nor especially intimate.

It was therefore uncommon for the matriarch of House Valehart to make a personal visit without first arranging an appointment. Such a departure from established etiquette generally indicated that the matter at hand could not conveniently be entrusted to messengers.

There was, however, another detail that made the visit considerably more curious.

Regina knew about the correspondence Lady Seraphina had sent several days earlier. She had received a report concerning the letter, though circumstances had prevented her from responding immediately.

It had arrived at a particularly inconvenient time, when other affairs demanded her attention and left little room for ordinary correspondence.

She had not forgotten about it, nor had she dismissed its contents as unimportant. She had simply been unable to address the request.

Now, with its sender standing inside Castle Noctivane, the matter could no longer be postponed.

Regina wondered whether Seraphina’s arrival was connected to that correspondence or whether some other development had prompted her to make the journey.

If it was the former, then the meeting might prove considerably more complicated than a simple exchange between two noblewomen. The letter was connected to a series of consequential events, and reopening that subject could invite questions Regina was not yet prepared to answer.

If, however, the visit concerned something entirely different, then she would simply have to assume the role of a gracious host and listen carefully before deciding how to respond.

It was a familiar exercise, though one she rarely found particularly enjoyable. In House Noctivane, conversations were often more dangerous than blades, especially when both parties understood the value of withholding information.

Regina walked towards the hall’s entrance, her boots producing quiet, measured sounds against the stone floor. The attendant had already disappeared down the adjoining corridor, while the training continued behind her with its usual discipline.

A few trainees glanced towards her but returned to their drills when an instructor’s sharp look reminded them where their attention belonged. She adjusted the cuff of her tunic, her expression settling into its customary composure.

Whatever Lady Seraphina wanted, Regina would hear her out. Yet she sincerely hoped the visit would not become another complication in an already troublesome sequence of events.

Knowing her luck, however, she rather doubted it...