The dining hall went completely still.
Liam and Louisa exchanged a glance across the table. It lasted only a moment, but in that brief exchange there was a complete conversation.
Liam's eyes shifted first as if silently checking whether he had heard correctly. Louisa met his look without hesitation. There was no change in their posture, no outward reaction that would draw attention, yet the shift between them was immediate.
In that shared silence, they both registered the same thing: A new variable has entered the situation.
One they had not prepared for.
At the same time, Marcus sat with his cup halfway to his mouth, his eyes fixed on Kraven and his brain visibly running through something at considerable speed.
Julian watched him do the mathematics.
The conclusion reached the young man's face before he could properly control it. For a brief moment, it showed clearly, unfiltered, before he managed to arrange his expression back into something neutral.
