Kaelus closed his eyes, the last lingering knot of tension in his chest finally unraveling. "Excellent. You may leave."
As the doctor exited, Kaelus finally allowed his exhaustion to catch up with him.
He pulled the velvet chair back to the bedside and sat down heavily, resting his forearms on his knees.
"See?" Seraphina said, taking another sip of broth. "I told you I was okay. Now you have to sleep. You look like a raccoon. A very handsome raccoon, but still."
Kaelus raised an eyebrow, a faint, dry smirk touching his lips. "A raccoon. The respect for my authority continues to plummet."
Before he could offer a proper retort, the soft, polite chime of the door knocker echoed through the room.
Kaelus's posture instantly stiffened, the relaxed atmosphere vanishing in a microsecond.
His hand drifted automatically toward Requiem.
"Enter," he commanded, his voice cold.
The door opened smoothly, and Marquess Julian Myer stepped into the room.
