The assembly hall was already half full when Elias arrived.
That, in itself, was a problem.
Normally, he timed it carefully—late enough to avoid attention, early enough not to be questioned. Today, he'd misjudged. Or rather, his body had.
He could still feel t Cassian's presence humming under his skin, a low, lingering relief that hadn't fully faded even as they'd separated at the greenhouse doors. It made his steps feel uneven, like he was walking with one shoe slightly thicker than the other.
Now, he stood near the back, posture composed, hands folded neatly in his lap.
From the outside, he looked as he always did—quiet, unobtrusive, forgettable.
Inside, his fingers tingled faintly.
The bells finished tolling. The murmured conversations died down.
The dais doors opened.
Cassian entered with the rest of the royal delegation, expression set, spine straight, every inch the Crown Prince the Academy expected.
The distance between them was stretched across the hall.
