A Father's Worry

Chapter - 152

By the time dinner was ending, the air in the dining hall had shifted. The casual ease of the meal had faded, replaced by something heavier, something unsaid. Jacob had noticed the way King Amarc had observed him throughout the evening—measuring, testing, and silently deciding something.

And then, as goblets were being set down and the final plates were cleared away, the King finally spoke.

"Jacob, would you mind coming with me for a moment? I'd like to talk with you in private."

The words were spoken with a kind of practiced nonchalance, but there was an unmistakable authority behind them. This was not a request.

Jacob met the King's gaze and nodded. "Of course, Your Majesty."