Chapter 268
Felix
Silence fills the council chamber, thick and heavy as poured lead, as she takes slow, deliberate steps inside.
The only sound is the soft, steady tap of her bootheels on the polished marble—a sound that seems to measure the hammering of my own heart. All eyes are locked on her. She hasn't been seen in the capital in years. Not since before my graduation.
She wears dark, practical travel leathers, dust still clinging to the seams from the hard ride to the capital. Her hair is indeed short, she unfortunately has the most commanding presence ever.
My uncle's face has gone carefully blank, but I see the minute tightening around his eyes. The victorious smirk is long gone, replaced by the focused wariness of one predator recognizing another, more dangerous one.
She doesn't bow. She doesn't greet the council. She simply stops a few paces inside the door, her tail giving one slow, lazy flick behind her.
