Lucrezia exhaled slowly. Then another thought surfaced but she hesitated. Perhaps she should leave it alone, but curiosity had always been her weakness.
"If I may ask…" Her voice lowered. "What happened that day?"
The commander remained silent. For a moment, he said nothing.
Lucrezia almost wished she could take the question back. She was certain he would ignore it—or perhaps remind her that it was none of her concern. By the time she realized she had allowed her curiosity to get the better of her, the words were already out.
A servant approaching from the opposite end of the corridor bowed deeply before the commander, interrupting them. "Commander."
He turned, the warmth instantly vanishing into something colder. "What is it?"
"The eastern sentries have returned. They were instructed to report directly to you,"
His face immediately hardened. The atmosphere dropped as he said, "Tell them I'll come shortly."
The servant bowed and hurried away.
