They were heading for the Great Gilded Arch—the entrance reserved strictly for the Imperial family.
It was a deliberate, public provocation. By bringing Julian through those doors, Aurelian wasn't just presenting a guest; he was declaring a possession. He was telling the court, and specifically the man waiting inside, that the scholar of the North had been swallowed by the shadow of the Crown.
By the time they got there, Aurelian was already waiting.
He stood with his back to the doors, his own mask—a golden lion—resting atop his head.
When he saw Julian approaching, his eyes didn't go to the costume or the silver embroidery. They went straight to Julian's eyes, searching for a flicker of the man who had broken down in the hallway.
He found only a calm, terrifyingly still void.
"You're late, Master Astrea," Aurelian remarked, his voice a low, melodic hum. "You seem to have a knack for making your Emperor wait for you at all times."
