*Runze's POV*
The evening feels unusually long tonight.
Outside, the estate has completely settled into the quiet dark of late evening. Inside, the only sound comes from the soft, rhythmic ticking of the antique clock on the wall and the occasional vibration of my phone whenever another news notification arrives.
*Bzz.*
The screen lights up on the duvet, casting a pale, stark glow across my lap.
I don't open them. I don't even swipe to clear the lock screen.
I already know what they'll say. Every article circulating online right now is just the same corporate PR statement rewritten a hundred different ways, repeating the exact same sterile phrases about strategic alliances and family unions.
Swiping past the news alert, I unlock the screen and open my chat app instead.
The screen sits exactly as I left it earlier… silent, static, with no new messages since my last missed calls.
I tap the text box, typing slowly as my fingers move against the glass keyboard.
