Luciana stood by the railing on the second floor, watching Aegon and his twenty-odd soldiers file out of the hall.
The heavy, iron-clad wooden doors closed silently behind them, shutting out the light and the clamor of the harbor district.
Deep within her pale violet eyes, a ripple of conflicting emotions slowly settled into a profound stillness.
Soft footsteps sounded behind her. A lean, shrewd-eyed middle-aged man approached. He was a minor leader in the Hayne family's underground network in Lys, responsible for the "business" in this warehouse district.
He glanced at the closed doors, then at Luciana's back, and lowered his voice to ask with a hint of barely perceptible doubt, "My lady, that man... can he really be trusted? After all, he was..."
He left the sentence unfinished, but his meaning was clear.
After all, this was a former associate who had left without a word years ago, an act that had bordered on desertion.
Luciana did not turn around. She merely gazed toward the doors, as though she could see through the wood to the departing figure of the young man with silver hair and violet eyes.
Her voice was soft, but carried an unquestionable chill:
"Don't ask questions you shouldn't."
The middle-aged man stiffened and immediately fell silent.
"What happened here today..." Luciana slowly turned, her pale violet gaze sweeping over the people sitting or standing in the hall below. They appeared occupied with their own affairs, but every one of them was listening intently.
Finally, her gaze returned to the middle-aged man's face. Her tone was level, yet it sent a chill through him. "Including Lott Hayne's visit and the contents of our conversation, all of it must remain confidential.
"For now, do not reveal a single word to the Rogare family."
She paused, her