The chamber was silent except for the ticking of the old clock fixed high on the wall. Heavy curtains muffled the noise of the city outside, and the long polished table stretched between the two sides of power: the grim-faced government officials on one end, and the guild leaders of the nation on the other.
The atmosphere was suffocating. Everyone present knew why they had been summoned by prime minister.
The news had already spread—the traitors had returned.
Chiyo Asashi leaned forward, her sharp eyes narrowing as she broke the silence first. "Tell me something, then. Why are they demanding the names of the dead? Why would they come here asking for Astrid Haraldsdottir and Lan Jia? Unless…" Her gaze swept over the officials. "…the government is hiding something from us."
Murmurs rippled across the table.
Lan Xinyue, dressed in a dark gown with her long white hair tied back neatly, remained silent. Her expression betrayed nothing, though her hands were folded tightly in her lap.
