Lucien's POV
Madness never arrived loudly.
It seeped in.
It started close to midnight, when the manor had gone quiet and even the guards moved with softened steps, like the world itself knew better than to provoke me. I had been standing at the window of my study, fingers braced against the glass, when the first tremor ripped through my ribs.
Not pain.
Pressure.
Like something inside me was stretching against bone, demanding room it had no intention of asking for politely.
I drew in a breath through my nose. Held it. Counted.
Control had always been my greatest discipline.
It slipped anyway.
My vision sharpened too quickly, the shadows of the room darkening while the candle flames burned brighter than they should have. My hearing caught everything, the click of a guard's boot out
