Evaline:
It was the flicker in his voice that caught me.
Not his words. Just… the faintest drop in his tone, like a perfectly composed melody missing a single note.
I faltered. Confused, I asked, "How did I know… what?"
He was silent again for next couple of seconds, making me wonder if he was going to answer or not. But then...
"That something was wrong with me," he finally said, but still didn't turn around. "No one else noticed anything. Not even my brothers. And yet you are here, asking me about it with such surety."
The fire popped softly in the fireplace. It was the only sound breaking the long stretch of silence that followed.
I stared at him, unsure what to say. "I-" My words stalled before I could form them. "Maybe… I just noticed the slightest miss in your usual… perfect persona."
