Lord Vord did not answer immediately.
The question from the former Baron of the Moonshade family lingered in the air, heavy with confusion and a hint of unease, as if the meaning behind those words had not yet fully formed, yet already carried something unsettling beneath it. The surrounding vampires who had been laughing moments ago quieted, not because their excitement had vanished, but because the moment now required clarity, and clarity demanded explanation.
Slowly, Lord Vord stepped forward.
His descent from where he had stood was measured, controlled, his posture regaining some of the dignity that had been shaken earlier, though traces of fatigue still clung to him. His eyes rested on the Moonshade family elders, moving from one to another, acknowledging their presence, their position, their significance.
"…You misunderstand."
His voice was calm, but not dismissive.
He was not speaking down to them.
He was speaking as someone who needed them to understand.
