The Laurent estate was a living painting.
Manicured hedges, expansive stone walkways, and grand courtyards gave way to smaller, quieter corners—places where silence lived, soft and unassuming. Aira's footsteps echoed gently as she explored, her eyes scanning every detail with quiet scrutiny.
She had woken early, before the estate had stirred. The breakfast with her family still lingered in her memory—Lucien's teasing, Ronan's thoughtful silence, Evander's attentive glances. It was strange. Not bad. Just… unfamiliar.
Her hand brushed over the ivy-covered arch leading toward a quiet garden. She liked this part of the estate. It felt hidden, untouched.
A sudden vibration in her pocket broke the stillness. She pulled out her phone and answered without checking the screen.
"Hello?"
"Aira!" a familiar voice chirped. "Finally, you answered. I was about to storm the Laurent gates."
Aira's lips tugged upward slightly. "Hello, Selene."
"Don't 'hello' me in that icy voice. I've been trying to call you for two days, Your Highness."
Aira rolled her eyes but didn't deny the teasing. "I've been… adjusting."
Selene Whitmore's voice softened. "I know. I just wanted to check on you—and tell you something that might help you feel more like you again."
Aira tilted her head, curious.
"There's an underground medicinal auction tonight in Old Quarter. Private list. Very hush-hush. One of the items is a rare herb you've been tracking for your prototype serum—the glacier bloom root. It's legit, Aira."
That name stopped Aira cold. The glacier bloom root… she'd only ever found fragments in old eastern medical texts. The last reported sighting had been over a decade ago.
"I'll be there," she said, her voice calm but resolute.
"Excellent. I'll meet you at the entrance at eight," Selene said brightly. "And wear something unnoticeable. I'm already paranoid enough."
"Always," Aira replied before ending the call.
—
Later that afternoon, Aira found Seraphina reading in the library and quietly asked, "May I borrow a car tonight?"
Seraphina looked up with soft surprise. "Of course, darling. Will one of the chauffeurs be accompanying you?"
"No. I'd prefer to drive myself."
Her mother hesitated for only a breath. "Then take one of the low-profile sedans. The black Leyden is discreet."
Aira nodded her thanks. She didn't mention where she was going. Not the auction, not Selene. Not the fact that she wasn't just attending as a guest—but as Dr. Caelum, the elusive healer the underground world called a miracle worker.
A title earned in secret. Hidden even from those who loved her most.
As evening descended, Aira slipped into the Leyden, dressed simply in black, her features masked with a soft scarf and low cap. The estate gates opened, and she drove into the city, the sun dipping below the skyline.
She was still just the newly found daughter of the Laurents to them.
Not the designer.
Not the doctor.
Not the shadow with a thousand names.
And certainly not the girl who was about to be seen by a man who would never forget her again.