"I bear a decree from the Crown."
The blonde knight spoke loudly enough for the entire courtyard to hear.
His armour gleamed beneath the midday sun, polished silver with blue enamel along the shoulders. A narrow cloak hung from one side, marked by a golden lion gripping a sword. He was handsome in the way court women likely enjoyed, with clean features, sharp green eyes, and hair like spun gold.
Yet everything about him irritated Luka.
The way he stood and acted all high and mighty.
The way he looked at Babylon and treated its walls and people like dirt.
The way his gaze kept drifting toward Galatea, as if the knight before him were not a person, but a fine weapon displayed on a wall.
Luka wasn't the only one to notice this, as Vivienne glared at the knight.
Her delicate smile thinned slightly, but she did not act or speak because of the decree.
The knight unrolled the parchment with a theatrical flick of his wrist.
