The night gathered thick around the estate once more, yet it no longer felt like a cover for rest, rather a witness to what shifted within walls that had once known only one form of command.
Elara stood at the far end of the council chamber, her figure outlined by dim lamplight, her posture straight though not rigid, as though she carried something heavier than authority yet refused to bend beneath it.
Alessandro remained near the table, one hand resting upon its edge, his stance controlled though the faint tightening in his shoulders revealed a tension that did not belong to uncertainty alone.
Roberto stood apart from them both, near the shadowed wall, unmoving, silent, his presence steady as stone, though his gaze did not miss a single shift between them.
"…we lead together," Alessandro said.
His voice was firm.
Elara did not answer immediately.
Her gaze lingered on him, not challenging, not yielding, but measuring something deeper than the words themselves.
