In her private chambers, Valeria sat with a slender silver goblet in hand, the wine within casting a dark red gleam in the low candlelight. She sipped absently, her gaze fixed on the man kneeling before her. He was middle-aged, with dark, neck-length hair framing a hawk-like nose and falling on the sides of his face.
Valeria eyed him critically, her fingers tracing the edge of the cup as she broke the silence. "Tell me," she asked coolly, "how long have you served under Lord Marcellus?"
Ravinius kept his gaze averted, his knee firmly on the ground. "Nearly a year, your grace" he replied smoothly, his tone respectful.
