Chapter 138 - The Moment the Smile Broke

The interior of Valtrane Castle was exactly as Philia had imagined: stone, shadows, and the lingering, almost suffocating scent of old hearths and burnt pine. As he crossed the threshold, the sheer weight of the architecture seemed to press down on him. It was functional. It was sturdy. It was, in his private estimation, utterly devoid of soul. To a man who lived in the sprawling, sun-drenched estates of the Capital, where the marble floors shone like mirrors and every corner carried stories of poets, this place felt like a tomb designed for giants who had forgotten how to laugh.