Crystal glasses chimed and a gramophone symphony drifted through the grand hall, spilling out into every room on the ground floor. It was soothing, truly, but it couldn't thaw the tension frozen solid in the banquet hall. Etien stood perfectly calm, pouring wine from the bottle, a stream of deep crimson sliding into the glass in his hand. Across the room, a cluster of nobles and the investigators dispatched by the Empire whispered behind their hands, shooting him nervous glances. The Duke was far calmer than any of them had bargained for.
One man stepped forward, puffing out his chest in front of the Duke's table, bold as brass.
"We've searched every area of this mansion, My Lord, but there are still a few corners of the estate we haven't examined."
