"Your Grace, may I ask how you view that commoner?"
The hostility woven into the question made Alaric flinch.
Sylas had always been carefree around him, far more relaxed than most would dare to be in the presence of a duke.
Though Alaric had inherited the title at a young age and carried its crushing weight upon his shoulders, Sylas had never allowed that burden to isolate him. He had treated Alaric with respect befitting his rank, yet never with distance.
First and foremost, Alaric had remained his brother, not the one who inherit the title.
Sylas had made it his unspoken duty to ensure that, no matter what trials came their way, Alaric would never feel as though he bore the ducal title alone.
And yet now, hearing Sylas address him so formally with such severity in his voice and a seriousness uncharacteristic of him, Alaric felt the shift keenly. The title, once an afterthought between them, now stood firmly between them.
