"Your Highness..."
A man in a dark mage's robe knelt deeply before the Emperor and Empress, his hands trembling slightly as he gripped his skull-topped staff.
Francis, the Emperor, stood at the top of the throne steps, tapping his foot against the marble floor nervously.
"You're finally back," the Emperor muttered coldly.
"So?"
He took a step forward.
"Did you find him?"
The room went still.
The mage hesitated to answer.
"...No, Your Majesty," he finally said, lowering his head further. "There were no traces left behind. Nothing from the blood samples either. It's like he vanished."
Silence.
Then—
Twitch.
A vein bulged on the Emperor's forehead, and his fingers curled into a fist.
Francis didn't speak, he only stared before finally parting his lips.
"...What about Aestrea?"
As soon as he uttered those words, the Empress's eyes narrowed slightly. Her nails dug into the velvet armrest, but she kept her mouth shut.
