NOVARIA’S POV
It was sometime past four in the evening when I woke up.
The rain had stopped hours ago, but the mansion still carried that cold, gloomy feeling that always came after a storm.
My body felt heavy from sleep, and my head still ached faintly from crying earlier.
As I rubbed my eyes tiredly, voices drifted upstairs from downstairs.
At first, I thought it was one of the usual business discussions the Muskegons always had with their men. But then the voices grew louder… sharper.
One voice in particular stood out.
A woman.
Curiosity slowly pushed away my sleepiness.
I slipped off the bed and quietly padded toward the hallway, my bare feet brushing against the cold marble floor. The closer I got to the staircase, the clearer the voices became.
I stopped beside the wall and
