The Kaiser manor gardens stretched across several acres. Stone pathways wound between flowering hedges, ornamental fountains, and carefully cultivated trees that provided shade during the afternoon heat.
The evening was settling in, the sun painting the sky in shades of orange and purple as torches began to flicker to life along the main paths.
Jack moved through the garden, his red eyes scanning the various clusters of nobles still lingering from the afternoon's events.
Most had departed after the duel, but enough remained to make the manor grounds feel crowded. Marriage proposals, business opportunities, and political maneuvering, every conversation carried ulterior motives wrapped in diplomatic pleasantries.
He exchanged brief nods with a duchess whose name he'd already forgotten, sidestepped a minor lord trying to discuss trade agreements, and ignored three separate attempts to engage him in longer conversation.
