Atelier shakes her head again. "I don't understand."
"You will, soon enough." He stands up and offers a hand to her. "I'll explain as we are on our way back."
"May I please return to my family first?" she pleads with him. "I just need to make sure they're okay."
Lucem thinks for a second, then two, and three. At the fourth second, he relents and nods, albeit rather reluctantly. "If it would ease your mind, yes, your highness."
"Thank you."
He explains that his comrades are waiting outside the building. "Now come, we must not waste any more time. Follow me closely, okay? And stay calm."
Atelier follows him out the door but stops when she sees the guard slumped on the floor, motionless. She stares at Lucem. "Is he dead? Did you kill him?"
Lucem barely spared the body half a glance. "No, he's only... sleeping. Don't worry. Let's go."
"We can't just walk out like this. There will be guards everywhere."
