The late dinner after finally arriving at Hexadion Hall was an understated affair. There were only Helena and Mark Owens to accompany them as it was much too late for a toddler to be awake.
Outside perfunctory greetings and comments of Mattheus having grown up a bit more since they last saw him, most of the conversation was taken over by Honoria Crown with the couple occasionally asking questions or adding remarks.
Mattheus, as it seemed usual for any dinners involving just the Crowns (Mark Owens was basically family through marriage, in any case), was left to be quiet company. It was something the twenty-year-old honestly preferred, leaving him free to just let the conversation flow around him as the Crowns always knew what would be appropriate for topics over a meal rather than not.
He let Brunilda work up his nerves for nothing.