As the uproar of laughter and applause faded, the feast resumed its lively rhythm, the sounds of clinking glasses and cheerful chatter filling the grand hall once more. Alpheo, however, sat with a neutral expression, his gaze focused on the patterns of the tablecloth before him.
He raised his cup to his lips and took a deep drink, the sweet cider offering a momentary distraction from the turmoil swirling in his mind.
Alpheo understood the predicament he had been thrust into. This insult was a double-edged sword; by responding with indifference, it would portray him and Jasmine as weak, a vulnerability that could alienate the nobility and threaten their support which was already low on its own .
