Everyone stood frozen.
It was not the sharp, alert stillness of soldiers awaiting orders, nor the tense quiet before battle. It was the kind of silence that came when a single sentence shattered every expectation in the air and left nothing standing where certainty once lived.
Even the blood mist drifting through the courtyard seemed to hesitate, as if unsure whether it was still allowed to move.
Cedrick's lips parted, but no sound came out. His mind raced, trying to grasp what he had just heard, trying to fit it into the image of Cornelia he had carried for years.
Zed's eyes darted from Cornelia to Cain and back again, his brows drawn together so tightly they nearly touched.
Hall stood rigid, his jaw clenched, while William's expression was unreadable, his gaze lowered just enough to hide whatever calculation passed through his eyes.
The blood guards, who moments ago had stood firm like statues carved from ancient stone, now looked unsettled.
