Lydia stared at the empty space where Seraphina had been standing moments before. Her jaw clenched, her hands curling into fists at her sides. Even at death's door, even bleeding out on the ground, Adrian had been calling for that bitch.
Not her.
Not the woman who stood beside him.
That traitor. That deceiver.
The guards looked at each other uncertainly, whispering among themselves. Their weapons were still drawn, but they had no target, no enemy to fight.
"What are you standing around for?!" Lydia's voice cracked through the night like a whip. She whirled on them, her face contorted with fury. "Search for them! Search the grounds! They couldn't have gone far! Find those criminals!"
The guards snapped to attention, immediately scattering in different directions, their boots pounding against the stone pathways as they spread out across the estate.
"Oh my God, what happened?"
"Someone attacked the master!"
"Sound the alarm!"
