The letter arrived at dawn.
The saintess had just finished her morning prayers when a delicate knock came—gentle, refined, noble. She opened the door with a small, serene smile that illuminated the room with warmth.
A courier bowed deeply, the sun catching the brass buttons on his uniform and glinting off his polished boots.
"An invitation for Her Holiness, from the Leonidus household."
Her eyes brightened like a child receiving a long-awaited gift, the kind that promises both joy and discovery. Her fingers trembled slightly as she accepted the parchment, the weight of the seal familiar and reassuring, yet heavy with unspoken consequence.
Behind her, Aiden—still wearing the guise of Prophet Lucifer—froze. So completely that the flames in the candle sconces flickered as though they, too, were startled by the sudden shift in the room's energy.
She broke the silence and unfolded the letter.
"Oh! A formal banquet! To honor the Church and welcome us!"
Aiden's mind screamed:
No.
