Description

The story opens on a dimly lit dinner in a grand, secluded manor, where the narrator, a trusted envoy of the king, arrives late to find only a dozen guests gathered around a long table. The walls are lined with portraits of bygone acquaintances, including an inexplicable painting of the narrator himself that sparks an uneasy sense of forgotten promises. An empty chair sits opposite him, suggesting a thirteenth presence that the other diners ignore, and the atmosphere is charged with quiet tension.

In the company of Miss Lorna, a striking young woman who seems both familiar and distant, the narrator senses that the evening will become more than a polite repast. Lorna confides a secret about a forthcoming departure with a mysterious man, urging him to keep her confidence until she is gone. As the conversation deepens, the envoy finds himself drawn into a web of concealed motives and looming danger, setting the stage for a careful dance of loyalty, intrigue, and the hidden costs of serving the crown.