"Why are you drinking tonight when you should be on duty? I thought you would be interrogating Elias," Louis said, stopping beside the dark wooden table in the wine house where Maurice was seated.
"The Duke ordered me to rest tonight. The interrogation will happen tomorrow," Maurice replied, staring down at his drink.
Louis pulled out a heavy chair and settled onto it, leaning forward. "Yes, you should rest sometimes. But it is confusing to see you drinking instead of actually resting."
"I was troubled, which is why I came here to have a single glass, nothing more," Maurice answered. He rotated the glass in his hand, watching the liquid swirl as he continued, "Recently, I failed twice. The blast could have been much bigger. The Duchess could have been hurt far worse. After so long, the Duke is finally able to live well, and I almost let it all be destroyed."
