The thought of performing dark rituals had lingered in Lady Maris's mind for some time, but King Valentin had always opposed her. "We can find another way. It doesn't have to come to that," he had insisted, his voice laced with both resolve and unease.
But after hearing the witch's grim prophecy of impending doom, Lady Maris was relentless. She pressed him again on the matter. "There's no other way now," she said.
Inside the carriage, King Valentin's face was tight, his lips pursed in silent contemplation. Across from him sat Margrave Boris, who maintained his stoic silence, his mind busy sifting through the chaos of the situation.
Though a loyal servant of the crown who spent most of his days within the royal palace, Margrave Boris had a family of his own—a wife and three beautiful children.