[Veyrhold House — Levin's Chamber — Night]
Night settled quietly over the Thalryn Empire.
Moonlight slipped through the balcony doors of Levin's chamber, spreading pale silver across the floor. The fire in the hearth burned low but steady, its warmth filling the room, yet the calm inside the chamber felt fragile, as if one wrong thought could shatter it.
Levin stood before the tall mirror.
His robe hung loose around his shoulders, half open, his upper body bare to the cold light. His gaze rested on his stomach, unmoving, searching for something that was not yet there.
No curve, no sign, and no proof that two lives were growing inside him.
His fingers moved slowly, stopping just above his abdomen, not touching, only hovering there as if he feared that even his own hand might disturb the fragile life he carried.
His eyes were lonely, not broken, or crying. Just… lonely.
