Violina wanted to stop by her family before heading for the Labyrinth, but time was a little tight. They had gotten this far without any incidents, despite Zach's presence. The more time that passed, the greater the risk of something cropping up to delay them.
Something like that would be difficult to explain to the Systines, but they would understand if Violina said she didn't want to be late—no need to overcomplicate things.
Zach also wanted to go, though it was more out of obligation as the son of one of the other dukedoms than a personal desire to mingle with Violina's family. He had responsibilities and rules of etiquette to uphold as a member of the aristocracy.
Fortunately, the Systines were among the more relaxed nobles in the Empire, at least according to Violina.
Zach had a feeling they weren't relaxed. They were just different from the rest of the nobles.
