Marcus straightened slightly at being directly addressed. For a mont, the formal mask he had been holding in place slipped, and sothing more genuine showed through—an expression of mild surprise, as if he had not expected kindness to be part of this morning at all.
"Young master Kraven," he said. His voice was still deepening into adulthood, carrying with it a slight uncertainty. "It is good to see you returned."
"Is it?" Julian said, with a slight smile that made the question friendly rather than pointed.
Marcus blinked. Then, with a honesty that he probably hadn’t planned to show: "I... wasn’t certain what to expect. From this morning."
"Neither was I," Julian said simply. "That tends to make mornings more interesting."
A small, involuntary smile almost broke across Marcus’s face. The tension in his shoulders eased just a fraction.
"Yes," he said. "I suppose it does."
Julian looked at the young man for a mont longer — noting the grey eyes, the careful posture, the intelligence visible beneath the performance — and filed what he found there for later examination.
Then he turned and looked at the assembled group.
The Duke stood with his controlled expression doing its work. Aldric beside him, steady and attentive. Liam with his smile and his pale eyes that had been planning since the laugh. Louisa with her mind busy calculating. Marcus still looked slightly off-balance from the unexpected warmth.
"Shall we go inside," Julian said. "The morning is getting on and I believe the household has been preparing sothing worth sitting down to."
He said it with the ease of soone making a natural suggestion. No challenge. No hidden aning.
For a brief second, no one had an imdiate reply.
Liam studied him for a long mont. The pleasant smile stayed on his face, but his eyes had gone colder. He had co to asure Julian... and he was already realizing the asurent would not be easy.
"Of course," Liam said pleasantly. "Let’s go inside."
He turned toward the castle entrance and his family moved with him.
Julian followed them through the entrance and into the castle. He glanced back as he crossed the threshold.
The Duke and Aldric had remained in the courtyard, talking sothing among themselves. Aldric said sothing, then bowed and departed in the direction of the garrison. The Duke stood alone for a mont, took a deep breath and then followed the group inside.
Julian turned back to the corridor ahead.
The group moved through the main passage. Liam walked with his hands clasped behind his back, his posture entirely relaxed.
Julian watched him.
This man is going to be difficult, he thought. He is a professional.
Julian’s eyes moved to Louisa.
She walked beside her husband gracefully, her eyes moving over the interior. She took in every detail.
Then Julian’s eyes dropped lower.
The corridor was long and straight, and the group moved at a slow, steady pace. With every step Louisa took, her deep green dress swayed and clung to her body in the most sinful way. The rich fabric hugged her wide hips, generous ass, tracing every mature curve as she walked.
Her ass looked incredible — full, firm, and mouth-wateringly shaped, bouncing just enough to make it impossible not to stare.
Julian redirected his eyes to the back of Liam’s head.
Calm down, he said to himself. Calm down.
He was very aware of whose body he was operating.
He kept his eyes forward and his attention on the corridor ahead and moved on.
Marcus walked slightly behind his parents, and Julian walked beside him briefly. He said nothing to him. Sotis presence was sufficient.
They were approaching the main hall when Louisa turned her head slightly and spoke without fully looking back.
"Kraven."
Julian looked up. "Yes, aunty."
She turned enough to include him properly in the conversation. "You are already at a good age now. Have you thought about marriage?"
Julian showed an expression that sat between embarrassnt and interested.
"No, aunty," he said. "I haven’t found anyone interesting enough. And besides, I have a great deal of training to complete before I think about any of that."
Liam chuckled without looking back. "You can train after marriage as well as before it, nephew. A good woman beside you doesn’t slow you down. She gives you a reason to be faster."
"Your uncle speaks from experience," Louisa said with a slight laugh.
Liam’s chuckle continued.
"And as it happens," Louisa continued, her eyes on Julian with a quality that had beco more purposeful, "if you are interested — I have a sister. She is a fine young woman. Noble, well-educated, good family. I think you two could be a very good match."
Julian looked at her with genuine interest, letting the slight surprise show naturally on Kraven’s face.
"Your sister?" he said. "I haven’t heard much about her, aunty. All this ti and you never ntioned her." He smiled. "Were you gatekeeping her?"
Louisa laughed.
It was a genuine laugh that ca out faster than she would have allowed herself. Without the usual cold restraint, she looked softer, more alive — and far more dangerously beautiful.
Several things happened at once.
Liam glanced at his wife, clearly surprised by the laugh, though there was sothing more subtle underneath it. Marcus looked at his mother with the slightly bewildered expression. It seed he wasn’t used to seeing her so free and open.
The Duke had stepped up behind them by now and caught the entire mont. He remained silent without a word, clearly trying to understand exactly what had caused his brother’s wife to drop her guard so completely in front of Kraven.
Louisa quickly tried to regain control, pressing her lips together to stifle the rest of the laugh, but the damage was done. Her cheeks stayed flushed, her breathing a little deeper.
"No, dear," Louisa said, recovering her usual tone. "She was not gatekept. She was simply very busy with her studies."
"What does she study?" Julian asked.
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