"Rex Rexilion," Diana intervened before the guard could find his voice, her tone clipped and absolute. "Aurelia invited him yesterday."
The assessment cycle lasted barely two seconds, a silent calculation of authority and recognition before the massive mechanisms of the gate groaned and began to part.
As they crossed the threshold into the courtyard, they found Elaris. Whether it was sheer coincidence or simply the Elaris-esque talent for appearing exactly where the atmosphere was most charged, she was already there, seated in the morning light.
She held a teacup with deceptive delicacy, her expression stripped of the formal armor she wore in public. When her eyes landed on Rex, that familiar, genuine brightening touched her features, the look of someone who had just encountered something unexpectedly refreshing in a world of tedious obligations.
"Rex Rexilion," she said, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "You are early."
