Faye watched as Sterling accepted the envelope from the messenger. His crimson eyes glared with burning intensity at the red and gold wax seal.
He let out a heavy sigh, and she heard the snap of the wax seal and paper crinkle as the Duke's fingers tore open the letter.
She saw Sterling's brow furrow and could sense something was terribly wrong. Even Everton's crisp winter wind seemed to turn harsh and sour with the arrival of the imperial herald.
"Is all well?" Faye asked, about to place her hand on his arm, but Sterling shushed her with a single lift of his index finger, signaling he was not finished reading the letter.
Once he was done, he crumpled the paper into a ball and discarded it on the ground before the messenger's feet.
"Tell your king we decline and cannot accept his invitation to visit the capital."
