Reunion (2)

Valeria's gaze sharpened, her tone firm as she addressed the guards. "His lord grandfather called for him, and you brought him here? He is the Emperor. It should be the opposite."

The two guards exchanged uneasy glances, clearly unsure of how to proceed.

''Answer damn you!'' She spoke in a voice that could not be misunderstood

One of them,finally took a deep breath before answering. "Your Grace... it wasn't Lord Marthio who summoned him. The Emperor... he went to visit his lord grandfather on his own."

Valeria froze, her thoughts momentarily scattering. Mesha went to him? Her own son, the emperor, had gone his grandfather—without her knowledge, without her permission.

For a fleeting moment, a rare sense of vulnerability washed over her. She felt like a child whose dog walked to a stranger even after she called for it.