Chapter 445 - CH 445 — Poisoned Reputation

The afternoon sun rested warmly above Regina, filling the Central Plaza with soft golden light that shimmered across the stone fountain at its heart while merchants called welcoming greetings from colorful market stalls, children chased one another beneath rows of flowering trees, and musicians seated near the old clock tower filled the air with gentle melodies that seemed to promise an ordinary day untouched by the quiet unrest spreading beneath the city's peaceful appearance, yet beneath those familiar rhythms another current moved almost unnoticed, carried not by soldiers or royal messengers but through whispered conversations exchanged between neighbors who lowered their voices before glancing cautiously over their shoulders, as though uncertainty itself had learned to wander invisibly through the streets.