…Waa…
It was barely a sound. Just a drop. Soft and distant, like a tear hitting water.
Countess Jenna didn't open her eyes, but her brow furrowed.
Waa…
There it was again—fragile. The kind of sound that tugged at something deep and instinctive before thought could catch up.
Her heart tightened and her ears sharpened in uncertainty.
The crying grew louder, the sound wobbling and breaking as if the little voice were running out of breath. Panic stirred. Without knowing how or why, Jenna moved, her body already responding before her mind fully woke.
"It's alright," she murmured, voice soft, soothing, practiced from years she had not thought about in a long time. "Shh, shh. I'm here."
She reached the source and gathered the unseen baby close. The crying hitched before slowing. And eventually, the sound softened into small, tired hiccups before finally fading away.
"There, there."
Relief washed through her.
And then—
Waa!
Waa!
Waa!
Her head snapped up.
