The corridors of the estate felt heavier than usual that morning. Girls moved in small clusters, whispering behind hands, eyes darting sharply at anyone who passed. Riley noticed it immediately as she walked from her private room (the one Lucas had quietly assigned her weeks ago, separate from the crowded girls’ courthouse) toward the main hall for breakfast.
Every time she passed a group, conversations would hush. Heads would turn. Some girls smirked. Others looked at her with something close to pity. A few even stepped aside a little too quickly, as if she carried a contagious disease.
Riley’s stomach twisted. She had no idea what was happening. She had never bothered to read the thick rule book they had given her on her first week — it had felt too much like accepting this place as pe
