The castle gates closed behind them with a heavy finality that Luke hadn't quite anticipated.
Inside Virencia's inner halls, the noise of the city faded into something distant and muffled, replaced by the quiet grandeur of stone corridors and vaulted ceilings. Sunlight filtered in through tall arched windows, painting the marble floors in gold and white. It should have felt triumphant—returning to the heart of the empire after everything that had happened.
Instead, Luke slowed his steps.
"…What are we doing?" he muttered under his breath.
Ilyrana glanced at him, then around them. The question lingered in the air longer than either expected.
Coming to Virencia had been the plan. That much was clear. They needed to be here—politically, strategically, symbolically. But walking straight into the castle? Standing beneath banners and guards and history itself?
That hadn't been discussed.
