After a brief overview of the rest of the estate, Coriund and Sylvan went to meet the marchioness in the tea-room. As they arrived, though, the butler informed them that Marquis Durand had arrived home early to meet Coriund. Thus, he was invited to have lunch with the family in the dining room. The dining room seemed to be a bit more daunting to Coriund than the cozy tea-room was, but the knight held his head high and accepted the invitation with gratitude.
Coriund was introduced to Marquis Durand, and immediately noted the resemblance between him and Valleus' late father. However, his build was slight, almost dainty in comparison to the broad stature of Valleus' father. They did, though, share the same dark hair and light gray eyes. While Valleus' were uniquely heather gray, his father's had been a darker gray, and the marquis had the same silver eyes as his sons.
In addition to the marquis, Coriund met the twins' younger sister Sasha. Unlike her brothers, she inherited her father's dark hair and her mother's blue eyes. After greeting Coriund, she kept to herself quietly. She didn't seem to be shy, but rather, reserved.
"So, Coriund, how are things in the north? How's my nephew doing?" the marquis asked, tone friendly. He didn't have the commanding, inspiring presence of the previous marquis, but his warm and inviting countenance led the knight to feel quite comfortable.
"Things are going well," Coriund replied without thinking, flinching a bit when he remembered the events that caused him to injure his arm. "Valleus is quite well- as dedicated as ever. He's currently serving as the crown prince's personal knight during His Highness' visit to Fiilzia."
The marquis smiled, genuine joy shining through at the news of his nephew's accomplishments. "He's a good lad, and so much like his father." The marquis paused, glancing down at Coriund's arm. "How did that happen, though?"
Coriund looked down, slightly unnerved by the marquis' perception. "I slipped on a patch of ice," he replied, not quite as convincingly as he'd wanted to. "You know how cold it gets up there," he added with a sheepish chuckle.
"Oh my- I'm glad it wasn't from a battle, at least!" the marchioness declared.
"If anything, at least a battle would've been a less embarrassing means of injury," Coriund responded with a nervous laugh. Sylvan gazed at him with sympathy, but Soren and the marquis seemed to be staring into his soul. 'Well, I can hardly admit that their relative turned into a monster and attacked me,' the knight told himself.
"Is that so... Honestly, I've heard about cultists acting nefariously up north, and was wondering if they had something to do with your injury."
Both twins turned their attention to their father, startled by the revelation. "Cultists?" Sylvan repeated in surprise.
"That's right- there's word that cultists tried to interfere with the prince's travels. Is there any truth to the rumors, sir knight?" The marquis set his eyes on Coriund, intent on discovering the truth.
Subconsciously, Coriund gulped. He was a better liar than Valleus, but that wasn't saying all that much. In uncomfortable social circumstances such as these, Coriund just wanted to blurt everything he knew and be done with it all. "Well, I didn't get my injury from the cultists. I'm... not quite sure how much I'm allowed to disclose, but it is true that some cultists attempted to interfere with the prince's trip."
"What did they do? What was their goal? Did they say what they worship?" Sylvan's rapid-fire questions came as a shock to Coriund. Unlike the marchioness' expression of distaste towards the cultists, Soren's vague interest, or the marquis' careful attempt to seek out more information, Sylvan appeared almost enthused by the word 'cultist'.
YOU ARE READING
Heart Of
Fantasy*New chapter every Friday* {omegaverse fantasy BL} //Aushen swallowed hard, holding his knees in front of him. "If... if I were an omega..." He raised his eyes to meet Valleus'. Valleus, too, was beginning to look flushed. "What would you do?" Vall...
