[Leif's POV—ThorenVald Estate, Office—Two Days Later]
It had been two days.
Two long, sleepless, fragile days since Nick fell unconscious. He still hadn't woken up, though Eryndor kept assuring me that his pulse was steady, his energy stabilizing, and his body simply… resting.
"Not dangerous," he said.
But every time I looked at that still, pale face — I wondered if he was lying just to stop me from shattering again.
Two days—and everything had changed.
I'd told Father. Mother. And even my future mother-in-law. About Zephyy. About Luminael. About the corruption.
Father's reaction had been… not what I expected.
He didn't rage. Didn't panic. He simply looked at me—long, heavy, searching—then placed a firm hand on my shoulder.
"It's your life, Leif," he said quietly. "Only you have the right to decide how to live it."
That was it. No lecture. No hesitation. Just quiet trust.
