In the inner garden of the courthouse, Ruelle stood in the same place where Lucian had left her. The winter garden was a quiet, walled courtyard, set apart from the courthouse's busy corridors. The sky above was pale and grey, and the cold air carried the faint scent of flowers.
Ruelle didn't know how many minutes had passed. She had stopped counting somewhere after the first twenty. She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, then forced herself to stand still.
It's going to be fine, she told herself, taking a deep breath before releasing it.
Lucian had already informed her that Minister Sylvan lacked the ability some of the pureblooded families possessed. It was probably one of the reasons his mother called him useless.
