The house stood eerily silent as we arrived, its grand walls casting long shadows under the setting sun. The air was thick with the weight of everything that had happened. War still loomed on the horizon, but for now, we had returned ....not victorious, but not defeated either.
Luca walked ahead of me, his steps purposeful, his presence commanding as always. I followed closely, my own emotions tangled in a way I didn’t want to acknowledge. My mark throbbed faintly, a constant reminder of the night that had changed everything.
As we stepped inside, the Queen Mother turned sharply at the sound of our arrival. Her eyes widened, lips parting in surprise.
“You’re back,” she said, her voice carefully measured, but I caught the flicker of something beneath her composed mask. Shock? Displeasure
