Morning arrived with low fog and the smell of imported coffee.
The Vestria palace woke slowly.
Nobles slept in.
Servants did not.
Kaito was already on the balcony when the sun barely touched the rooftops.
Cup in hand.
Processing.
Dreisburg. Evacuation underway. Estimated citizens: four hundred twelve. Carriages sent. Drake's escort. Timeline: three days.
Variables: Avernor's movement speed. Information Aldous has about our resources. Probability he's already sent agents toward Dreisburg.
Not controllable from here.
Only wait.
He didn't like waiting.
Before, it caused him anxiety.
Now it was just... another variable.
That bothered him too.
A little.
---
Adelheid appeared beside him silently.
She had looked for him in his room first.
She knew him well.
"Good morning."
"Good morning."
A brief silence.
The kind they'd shared for months.
Comfortable. Heavy with unspoken things.
"Did you sleep?"
"Four hours."
"Kaito."
"It's enough."
Adelheid didn't argue.
