[Location: Morningstar Manor, New York]
By the time dinner rolled around, Gabriel and Selene had settled down—mostly.
Which, in this house, meant:
Selene wasn't trying to film Gabriel doing chores anymore.
Gabriel had stopped accidentally sanctifying random objects.
Zeraphira hadn't threatened murder in the last four minutes.
…Progress.
I shifted Grayfia slightly in my arms as I entered the dining hall.
She was awake now.
But quiet.
Too quiet.
Her silver lashes fluttered, her expression composed, serene—yet somehow stiff.
Not cold. Not hostile.
Just… wrong.
Grayfia Lucifuge was a terrifyingly powerful demoness, the Silver-Haired Queen of Annihilation, the most disciplined maid in existence.
"Fia... are you feeling... okay?" I don't know what to ask, seeing her like this.
"...Mm."
She humed, but her hold on my sleeve tightened—barely, but enough for me to notice.
Grayfia never fidgeted.
Grayfia never hesitated.
Grayfia never gripped.
Something was off.
