Alaric smirked faintly. "Why don't you tell him yourself, then?"
Lucius muttered something about bats before he finally spoke aloud. "I didn't bring her here," Alaric said with restraint.
"Technically, no, but she's here with her belongings—for you," Richard replied, a smirk tugging at his lips.
Alaric raised an eyebrow. "And you don't even like my wife."
"That's not true," Richard huffed, shrugging dismissively. "I just don't care—"
"As it should be," Alaric cut in. "Mostly." There were exceptions, of course—times when he needed Richard's loyalty to his wife's safety, particularly in his absence.
Richard rolled his eyes, his tone skeptical. "But that doesn't mean I'd condone disloyalty. When did this happen, Alaric?"
Lucius sighed theatrically. "Please tell this overgrown magic-buster to shut up."
"Nothing happened," Alaric said shortly. "She's just a guest."
