Blood cake

Emily was pleasantly surprised by Julius Ardolf's unexpected presence as he walked to where she and Raylen were standing. She hadn't anticipated having such an early visitor, not that she minded it, and she smiled when the man offered a polite bow to each of them. 

"It's a bit too early to be gracing us with your presence, Julius. Emily here might start thinking you have nothing better to occupy your time than to seek opportunities to come see her," Raylen remarked.

Julius was gazing at Emily's face when he discerned the subtle hint of sarcasm. However, when he shifted his attention to the king, he found it difficult to reconcile it with how kindly the blue-eyed man looked at him. Feeling perplexed, unsure if it was just his imagination, he returned the smile and said,