The grand hall of the Vaise estate was usually a place of calm luxury, filled with velvet-lined sofas, glowing mana lights, and the occasional squirrel attempting tax evasion.
But today?
Today, it was a battlefield of glances and unspoken tension.
Jessy stood with her arms crossed, biting her lower lip.
Alex stood beside her, arms hanging awkwardly at his sides like he had forgotten what to do with them.
Rufus and Jake exchanged looks that somehow screamed, "Did you do something?" "No, did you?" without ever speaking a word.
Lia—still Prince Lio to the world—was silently standing behind them, posture straight, expression blank, but her fingers kept tugging at her sleeves like they were trying to crawl into her wrists.
And at the very front, like a queen holding court, stood Clara.
Tall. Composed. Gorgeous. Terrifying.
Her eyes scanned the group like she was calculating the most effective way to crush someone's ego using only facts and mild disappointment.
