Lydia's Point Of View
I didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Didn't even breathe properly.
I just sat there motionless, as everything unfolded before me like some twisted, ridiculous performance I hadn't been invited to control. A spectacle orchestrated without my consent, without my participation.
The room felt colder. Or perhaps that was just me, my blood running ice-cold through my veins. Because the way they were looking at her… No. Not just looking. Defending. Backing her. Standing behind her as though she were something… valuable. Something worth protecting.
My fingers curled slowly into my palms, the movement deliberate and measured. Tight. Tighter. Until my nails bit into my skin, creating small crescents of pressure.
I barely felt it.
All I could hear was the echo of their voices reverberating through my skull. One after the other. Cutting the Chairman down. Shutting him up. For her. For Seraphina.
"…we appointed her…"
"…then she is capable…"
