The mansion’s east wing corridors felt colder tonight, the high arched ceilings swallowing sound until every footstep echoed like a warning. Soran walked ahead, hands shoved deep in his pockets, shoulders hunched in that deliberate way he had when he wanted everyone to know he was annoyed. Cairo kept pace beside him—steady, quiet, always the counterweight to Soran’s storm.
“I still don’t see why we’re doing this,” Soran muttered, kicking at a loose thread on the runner rug. “He’s probably sulking in the vault again. Let Father deal with his golden boy’s tantrum.”
Cairo didn’t slow. “Because he’s our brother. And because the guards are whispering. Something happened tonight—something bad. You heard the crash from your room same as I did.”
Soran rolled his eyes. “Yeah, and I also heard th
