Julies exhaled softly, the faintest glimmer of amusement breaking through his mask.
"Took you long enough, my lady."
Alice's gaze slid toward him, a brief, razor-sharp flick of her eyes that carried the weight of a silent reprimand. The room chilled with it, but Julies only tilted his head in quiet defiance.
Emma, standing between them, refused to flinch. Her fan remained poised at her side, the polished veneer of a Voss noble never cracking.
"You are taking the side of a criminal, Lady Alice," she said coolly. "Do you even realize what you're doing?"
Alice's lips curved—not into a smile, but into something far more dangerous.
"There was never any betrayal to begin with," she said softly. "We were the ones who misunderstood."
The words were calm, but the air around her shifted like a sudden frost.
Emma's breath caught. A prickle of raw instinct raced down her spine, an unshakable warning that danger stood inches away.
