Elara knew something had changed before she saw him.
The estate moved differently when decisions had been made in rooms she was not allowed to enter.
Guards shifted without meeting her eyes.
Attendants paused mid-task, then resumed with careful neutrality.
Even the cameras—
Tracked more slowly.
As though the house itself were waiting for permission to act.
Uff.
The bond pulsed faintly beneath her ribs.
Soft.
Unsteady.
Like something bracing for impact.
He found her near the east corridor window.
Not by accident.
Never by accident anymore.
Alessandro did not approach immediately.
He stood a few steps away, as though proximity itself might alter whatever he had come to say.
Because it would.
Because it already had.
"They've voted," she said without turning.
"Yes."
"And?"
A pause.
Measured.
Careful.
"You will remain in the east wing."
For a moment—
She thought she had misheard.
Pfft.
Because protection did not sound like instruction.
Did not feel like—
