A symbol of her care

The next morning, Alora noticed Magnus was conspicuously absent and only during the family breakfast she saw him. After the meal ended, she finally found an opportunity to speak with him.

"Where were you last night?" Alora asked, her voice tinged with concern. "And even this morning, I didn't see you. Tobias mentioned you had some urgent work. What kind of work could be so pressing for Prince Magnus?"

Her perplexed gaze met his calm and measured one as they stood in the empty corridor. The silence of the hallway seemed to amplify her confusion.

Magnus's expression remained steady as he replied, "Damien is alive, and there are shapeshifters roaming within our kingdom."

Alora's eyes widened in shock. "What? So, it wasn't Damien who attacked Brother Izaak that day, but a shapeshifter?"