[Lavinia's POV—The Next Morning—Dawnspire Wing—Lavinia's Chambers]
"…Did he arrive?"
The question slipped out before I could stop it.
Zerith stood near the door, helmet tucked beneath his arm, posture straight but eyes tense. He shook his head once.
"No, Your Highness. We have received no report of Captain Haldor's return."
Silence fell.
Not the fragile kind. The heavy, deliberate kind. I tapped the armrest of my chair once. Then again. A steady rhythm—control, not impatience.
"Call Re—"
"Your Highness."
The voice cut through the room like a blade through silk.
I looked up.
General Luke stood at the entrance.
He had not announced himself. He had not bowed immediately. His uniform was immaculate, but his face—his face betrayed him. The sharp composure I had come to expect was fractured, eyes dark with something dangerously close to panic.
"I request permission," he said carefully, "to speak with you."
I studied him for a long moment.
