The iron-rimmed wheels of the Valerius carriage crunched rhythmically over the gravel path, leaving the Minister's estate behind in a cloud of settling dust. Inside the carriage, the air was heavy, pressurized by the presence of three powerful, complicated souls. Lucius had helped Evelina into the plush, velvet-lined seat with a tenderness that bordered on reverence—a gesture that did not go unnoticed by his older brother.
