Velvet chains of winter

ed like a rel

storm from the night before had passed, leaving the streets wet and gleaming, but a heavy feeling clung to her chest. Her step

hts drifted back to the Blackwood Tower. The papers. The rain. The brush of his fingers when he took them from her hands. It was impossible not to feel the contrast

onductor guiding a symphony. Lysette lounged on the sofa, scrolling endlessly on

as sharp, cutting through the quiet. "Yo

long since learned that arguing was futile. Th

ore her," she said lightly. "But do remember, appearanc

words feeling ho

held her notebooks, her pens, and the worn documents she still carried like a talisman against the chaos of her home. She was careful,

at the far end-a presence she hadn't noticed before. Her

low voice murmured

tu

den Bla

Not yet. How could he have followed her? The thought alone should have terrif

s came out. Her voice, sudden

lm, almost casual, but there was an edge to it

t a shiver do

he managed to say. Her hands twis

oser, rain still faintly clinging to his coat

ld not. Something about the way he carried himself-controlled, decisive-ma

oice softer now. "Your stepmother, your stepsister... they t

ok, every quiet humiliation. He was right. And yet, the thought

me?" she whispered, unsure i

have to face them alone. You're stronger than they know,

warning. Elara didn't know whethe

respond, a sharp

way. "Are you talking to yourself again, or

med to fill the hallway, his figure a sil

aid calmly, his gaze fixed on

ushed. "Who are y

" he replied simply. The words were ice wr

aribel appeared behind her daughter, calm yet calcul

siness with our guest, perhaps you'll excuse yo

yes remain on her as she moved toward t

his was the world she had been living in-and he intended to change that. Not with confrontation

he weight of Kael's unseen presence. Every small act-the way Lysette rolled her eyes, Maribel's subtle criticism

. She held her bag tighter, careful not to stumble, but no longer with the same anxious desperation as the night befo

ngerous, gave her the courage to w

tinued, indifferent to her struggles. But for the first time, Elara felt a glimmer-a small, stubborn spark-that s

head, moving quietly through the shadows of

.