Serenya
I must’ve slept off in the morning because when I woke up it was late afternoon. I found the note folded neatly on my vanity table just after dinner. Its cream paper was thick and embossed with the estate’s crest, the same stationery used for formal family correspondence. For a moment, I thought it was from Kaelith, and my chest fluttered with a brief, traitorous hope.
But when I opened it, the words written in precise, elegant script made my stomach clench into a tight, burning knot.
Meet me at the east wing study at midnight. Don’t tell anyone. – Eryan.
My fingers trembled as I re-folded the note, placing it back down as though it might bite me. Outside my window, the sun had long set, the estate glowing in hushed amber lights beneath the violet sky. From below, I could hear
