A Warning That Cannot Be Ignored
"…I suppose," he said, reaching for the drink, "it would be rude not to."
Victor smirked faintly.
"Now that sounds better."
For a brief moment, the tension between them loosened—not vanished, not forgotten—but shifted into something quieter, more controlled. The kind of tension that didn't explode… but waited.
Victor watched Shawn lift the mug, the way his movements remained disciplined even in something as simple as drinking. It reminded him of something distant. Old.
Very old.
Just like them…
There was a flicker in Victor's gaze, gone almost as quickly as it appeared.
Men like Shawn—
He had seen countless of them before.
Commanders.
Generals.
Men who stood at the peak of human pride and discipline.
Men who carried both honor and calculation in the same breath.
For a moment—
Victor almost laughed.
Instead, a faint smile formed.
Back then… they would've died before bowing like this.
It stayed on his mind, yet he shoved it away.
