Snow continued falling over the capital long after midnight, burying the streets beneath pale silver frost while the Valemont estate remained awake under heavy guard.
Servants moved through the halls in frightened silence, careful not to linger near the eastern wing where the atmosphere had become unbearably tense.
Word had not spread publicly yet. But inside the estate, everyone already understood the truth. Lady Seraphina Valemont was no longer merely a disgraced noblewoman. She had become the center of an ancient mystery, something dangerous.
Inside the eastern hall, the severed wolf head remained covered beneath a black cloth near the doorway. No servant dared remove it. Even the guards stationed nearby kept their distance, visibly uneasy beneath the oppressive presence filling the room.
