The academy felt different.
Maybe it was me more aware now of every glance, every whisper that followed my steps. Or maybe it was the way Lucien's presence had begun to shift the air wherever he went, quiet, controlled, but impossible to ignore.
Seraphina had arrived earlier than usual. She stood near the training grounds, her honey-blonde hair gleaming in the light, her laughter carrying through the open courtyard like music everyone else had been waiting to hear.
I tried to keep my focus on the lesson. Elizer was helping the younger trainees, correcting their stances with patient ease. I stayed near the shade, sorting through scrolls and field notes, pretending not to notice the way Seraphina's gaze kept sliding toward me.
"She shouldn't even be here," I heard one of her friends whis
