Moth was in the corridor.
He was standing exactly where Julian had expected him to be — to the right of the door, back straight, hands clasped behind him.
He fell into step behind Julian without being asked.
They walked.
Julian let the corridor hold its silence for a stretch. The information from the office settled into order as he moved, each piece finding its position.
Liam plus the Marquis of the North meant an external alliance with resources and funding behind it. Liam's connection to the king provided internal protection—the kind that made any direct action against him politically risky for the duke, no matter what legal authority he possessed. And with the military divided, even the natural advantage of holding the seat of power at home was weakened, leaving the Duke's position far less secure than it appeared on the surface.
This was not impatience. This was not a younger brother making a reckless grab at something he wanted.
This was planned.
