The silence after Sinclair's words stretched long enough for the sound of Velric's ragged breathing to echo across the grand hall.
Then—
Phew...
Alex slumped back against the sofa, arms dangling over the cushions like he'd just survived the end of the world. "Oh, thank god. For a second there, I thought it was something serious."
Everyone turned toward him.
Jessy flicked a pebble at his forehead. "A coup in one of the strongest families on the continent isn't serious?"
Alex rubbed the red spot, groaning. "Compared to the things my red flagging has done until now? Not even close."
Graye laughed, throwing an arm around the backrest of her seat. "Fair. Honestly, I'll take a Vaise implosion over a demon tearing the sky open anytime."
Rufus actually exhaled in relief, slumping back on the sofa like Alex. "She's not wrong. If Alex had red-flagged us for real, I'd have packed my stuff and moved to another continent."
