An annoying guest

Estefan sat calmly on the couch, his legs crossed, a hand loosely draped around the cup of freshly brewed coffee resting on the teapoy beside him. Next to it sat a tray stacked with sugar-glazed cookies, their scent barely masking the bitterness of the roasted beans he sipped.

Galliard stood nearby with a composed face, though his fingers twitched with subtle unease. No one in the palace knew who this mysterious guest was but only that Estefan had scheduled the meeting himself.

"I wonder who it is." Estefan murmured as he took a sip of the coffee in his hand.

Galliard blinked in confusion. He doesn't know? he thought. If even Estefan wasn't sure who would walk through those palace gates, then this meeting was either a gamble… or a trap.

Just then, the heavy sound of a carriage rolling to a stop echoed through the outer hall. The grand doors swung open and a procession entered.