Elara had not understood how loud silence could be until she began to notice how often the estate rearranged itself around her.
Not furniture.
Not doors.
People.
A maid who stepped aside too quickly when she approached the stairwell.
A guard who lingered half a second longer than necessary outside the library doors.
Two kitchen staff who stopped mid-sentence the moment she entered—
Then resumed only after she passed.
Uff.
It wasn't overt.
It wasn't even rude.
It was—
Managed.
She felt it in the way conversations dimmed around her.
In the way footsteps altered rhythm when she moved down the corridor.
In the way no one ever seemed surprised to see her anymore.
As though they had known she was coming.
Before she did.
"What the hell…"
The words slipped out before she could stop them.
Because this didn't feel like protection.
It felt like—
Surveillance.
A soft knock sounded behind her.
Elara turned.
