I walked toward the intruder without haste, my footsteps echoing across the marble floor while he writhed where he had fallen. Blood pooled beneath him from the wounds in his knees, staining the polished stone crimson as he curled inward and gasped through clenched teeth.
His entire body trembled violently from pain, yet there was something stubborn in the way he looked at me. Something that refused to bend. I stopped beside him and studied him carefully, my expression remaining cold and neutral despite the situation. His clothing was ordinary but not familiar. He was not one of the Valemont employees. He was not one of the palace servants either. There was no crest, no insignia, no indication of allegiance. Whoever he was, he did not belong here.
