I didn't pound on the door. I didn't scream or beg to be released.
Instead, I walked to the tall library window, pushed aside the heavy curtain, and lifted the parchment into the sunlight.
Outside, I could see Victor, Clara, Xander, and a growing crowd gathered near the gates. Neighbours, local families, and people who had worked for the Voss estate for generations stood shoulder to shoulder, waiting to learn what was happening inside.
I took a deep breath.
“Listen to me!”
My voice carried across the courtyard.
“This charter says everything belongs to the firstborn males. No daughters. No wives. No one else. It says power must stay within one bloodline, no matter how many people suffer to protect it.”
I held the parchment higher.
“But my father wrote something here. Something my gr
