Despite the gravity of the situation that had brought them together, she felt a warmth in her heart at the prospect of seeing her former students again.
The room itself was a testament to the blend of comfort and functionality that characterized the entire estate. Large windows showed the outside rain and green forest.
Comfortable sofas and armchairs were arranged in conversational groups, upholstered in rich fabrics that showed no sign of wear despite their obvious age.
There, arranged around the room's central seating area, were some of her most accomplished former students—young people she had taught and guided and who had since become influential figures in their own right.
"Professor Lovett, you are here," said Veronica, rising from her place on one of the elegant sofas. The young woman—though she was young only in relative terms, being nearly thirty—carried herself with the poise and authority that came with her position as an Arcnyte of the Ministry.
