The atmosphere in Lady Rose's manor was heavy—like the air before a storm.
After her confrontation with the butler, Lady Rose had not been the same. Her sharp wit and quick tongue, once infamous among the nobility, now lay dormant.
She sat in her chair for hours, staring at nothing, her eyes dulled.
Decisions piled up on her desk unanswered, petitions from the common folk went ignored, and complaints from the nobles increased by the day.
Even her staff moved with hesitance, unsure if approaching her would bring anything but silence.
Kyle noticed it immediately. He had seen people lose their will before—knights who survived great battles only to break under the quiet weight of failure.
Rose wasn't shattered in body, but the betrayal had left a crack in her core, and the guilt had widened it.
Amana, standing beside Kyle in the council room, sighed deeply.
