Meanwhile, outside Valentina's office.
The corridor on the Academy's upper floor was a type of quiet that only existed in buildings where significant events unfolded behind closed doors. It wasn't an empty quiet; it was a held quiet, where the air itself seemed conscious of its role, deliberately muffling any sound that might travel too far.
Elizabeth stood near the window at the far end of the corridor, which offered her a clear view of Valentina's office door and the staircase, enabling her to see anyone approaching from either direction. She was not pacing.
She had deliberately chosen not to pace, as pacing would convey a message she wanted to avoid in a corridor where anyone could pass by; instead, she stood with her arms folded and her weight on her back foot, a posture that appeared to show composed patience but felt entirely different.
The meeting had been running for twenty-three minutes.
