[Unedited! Don't buy!]
The following morning arrived without sunlight.
A dense curtain of gray clouds smothered the sky, casting the Nightborne estate beneath a dim and colorless hush. Even the servants moved quieter than usual, their footsteps softened by unease they could not explain.
The manor felt different.
Aware.
I stood alone in the western study, one hand resting against the edge of an ancient oak desk while the other held a sealed letter already broken open twice before. The parchment bore the insignia of the High Council—a silver crest pressed into black wax.
They had noticed.
Not Iris specifically.
Not yet.
But they had felt the disturbance woven through the academy wards two nights ago, and now questions were beginning to circulate among those who spent centuries sharpening suspicion into an art form.
A knock sounded at the door.
"Enter."
Sebastian stepped inside, bowing slightly. "The council has requested your presence this evening, my Lord."
