The banquet hummed around them like a living thing, loud laughter, goblets clinking, the scent of roasted meats and spiced wine thick in the air. Musicians played a lively pavane, but beneath the melody, the real music was the whispered conversations of the nobles.
Yvonne sat stiffly at Javier's right hand, the place of highest honor. She forced herself to eat slowly, to smile when eyes turned her way, but every nerve in her body was pulled tight.
To her left, Javier ate in silence, his presence a dark, magnetic force. Across the hall, Catalina watched them both with a smile that could cut glass.
A group of nobles at the nearest table leaned in, voices low but carrying just enough for her to catch.
"…the roads are becoming unsafe again," one older lord muttered, swirling his wine. "Bandits grow bolder by the month. If we do not increase taxes to fund more patrols, trade will suffer and the merchants will start complaining louder than they already do."
