Keiran sat comfortably inside the carriage, a small smile of satisfaction playing on his lips as the vehicle rumbled toward his father's mansion. The journey to Caestria was not merely a family visit; it was a venture steeped in Inter-Kingdom business, a tapestry woven with the threads of duty and expectation.
As the carriage came to a halt in the expansive compound, Keiran stepped out, the cool breeze ruffling his hair. He ascended the few flights of stairs, each step echoing with unspoken thoughts. Pushing open the grand double doors, he entered the main parlour to find his father seated, engrossed in a newspaper.
"Where are you coming from, Keiran?" His father's voice cut through the air like a sharpened blade before Keiran had even crossed halfway through the living room.
"I went out." At twenty-four, he felt no obligation to account for every moment of his day. He was not a child tethered to his father's watchful gaze.
