"Tomorrow, I expect all three of you to be ready by noon. We are leaving for the City."
Hermione was the first to snap out of her stupor.
"W—What...?" She asked, her brow furrowing in confusion. "Didn't you prohibit us from ever setting foot outside the estate?"
"And now, I am authorizing it," Ulrich replied.
Hermione clenched her fists beneath the table. It never sat right with her how he spoke as if he owned them, dictating their lives with casual authority. Yet, at the same time, her logical mind knew he hadn't locked them away purely out of malice or a desire for control.
