"Read it aloud," Logan said quietly, moving closer now as Elena's hands continued trembling around the fragile parchment.
Elena took a steadying breath before beginning, her voice carrying careful, measured control despite the obvious emotion still gripping her.
*To my husband, Cassius, upon the day circumstances finally require this letter's revelation.*
*I write this separately from my earlier correspondence, understanding its contents carry weight considerably beyond simple personal warning or private family debt. What I share now concerns matters of ancient law, knowledge passed to me through careful study with the palace elders during my own training before our marriage.*
*The bond between our daughter and the Westwood heir, should it manifest as the elders warned me it might, car
