Inside the Royal Hall.
A residence reserved for those of royal status or nobles whose bloodlines stood at the pinnacle.
Aera Nari Gyeoul sat elegantly upon a soft crimson sofa, her slender fingers holding a porcelain cup of steaming tea.
Each movement of hers was refined, unhurried, as though the world itself adjusted to her rhythm.
Her personal attendants stood nearby, quiet as statues, their presence subdued but unmistakably sharp.
Across from her sat Principal Leilah.
Though she kept a polite smile on her lips, her gaze carried the weight of scrutiny.
Aera's sudden arrival was unusual enough, but the fact that she had come in person—and an entire month earlier than necessary—set alarm bells ringing in Leilah's mind.
Someone of Aera's influence could have shifted outcomes with a mere letter, a whisper, a token of gold sent through an emissary.
Yet here she was, sitting in the heart of the academy.
"So," Leilah began casually, "how long do you intend to stay with us?"
