Kaelira’s POV
Something had changed.
It wasn’t obvious at first.
No loud confrontations. No direct accusations.
Just looks.
Too many of them.
Lingering longer than they should.
Whispers that stopped the moment I got close.
I noticed it the second I stepped into the courtyard.
A group of warriors near the training ring went quiet. Not completely but enough.
One of them looked at me, then quickly looked away.
Another didn’t.
He just stared.
Measuring.
Like he was waiting for something.
I slowed slightly, my eyes narrowing just a fraction.
“Say it,” I muttered under my breath.
None of them did.
Of course they didn’t.
Cowards.
I kept walking.
But I felt it.
Every step.
Every glance.
Every shift in the air around me.
Different.
Not fear exactly.
But close enough.
And
