A Missing Piece in the Game
"What happened to Gian?"
Victor's voice came out calm—too calm. The kind of calm that didn't belong to someone asking a simple question. It carried weight, quiet pressure, like a blade resting just against the skin.
His golden eyes settled on Lane.
Still. Steady. Watching.
Not demanding an answer… but expecting one.
Lane didn't respond immediately.
Her fingers had been tracing the edge of his sleeve—absently, almost unconsciously—but they stopped. Just for a moment.
A small pause.
So small most wouldn't notice.
Victor did.
"I sent him to kill the marquis near our village, but he hasn't come back from that mission. It has been around a week since I last saw him."
Her voice stayed even. Controlled. No panic, no visible concern.
But there was something underneath it.
Not fear… not yet.
Just a faint tension. Like a thread pulled slightly too tight.
Victor's gaze shifted, narrowing just enough to show thought moving behind his eyes.
A week.
