Chapter 147: Words Sharpened Before the Blade
Lyria's POV
Duke Thorncrest tilted his head slightly, as though considering how best to refine it.
"You may take it a step further," he said at last.
I lifted my gaze to him.
"If hesitation alone is your reason," he continued, "it may appear… insufficient."
Baron Redwick gave a small nod.
"It lacks weight," he agreed, "particularly when presented before an audience that has already begun to form its own assumptions."
Duke Thorncrest's eyes returned to me.
"You must give them something they can understand," he said. "Something that explains not only your absence… but your silence."
I felt my fingers curl faintly at my sides.
"H-how?" I asked quietly.
His expression softened, though only slightly.
"You were afraid," he said simply.
"You may say so," he continued. "Not as weakness, but as honesty."
Baron Redwick adjusted his spectacles.
