I entered Duke's office, where he was hunched over a pile of papers, his brow furrowed in concentration. I greeted him with a practiced cheerfulness. "Good morning, father."
He looked up, his eyes narrowing slightly as if he were trying to remember whether he had seen me in a particularly unpleasant dream. "Oh, Meredia, what brings you here? I thought I made it clear that we don't require any magical assistance in our guild."
Ah, Duke and his stubborn refusal to acknowledge that magic might have its uses- how charmingly predictable.
But I had bigger fish to fry today. I adopted my most innocent, pleading tone. "No, no, no, father, "I'm not here to discuss that. I completely agree with your decision. I'm not here to argue."
He scrutinized me with the same intensity he reserved for deciphering the fine print of contracts. "So, what brings you here so early in the morning?"
