//CLARA//
The fury carried me through corridors I knew too well now, past tapestries I no longer saw. My foot throbbed beneath the bandage with every step, but I welcomed the sting.
It kept me sharp. It kept the rage white-hot and focused while the rest of me wanted to crumble.
Aunt Cornelia was standing in the corridor like a gargoyle draped in silk. As our paths crossed, I looked her dead in the eye, letting the pure, unfiltered contempt of a woman who had seen the future wash over her. I didn't have the energy for a polite nod. She was lucky I didn't spit at her feet.
I continued toward Casimir's study, my steps deliberate and loud enough to echo.
"Higgins!" Loud enough to reverberate through the hall and shatter the silence shrouding the nightfall.
"When your master returns, inform him I am waiting in his study. We have an urgent matter to discuss regarding Mr. Whitfield's imprisonment. It seems there has been a… grave misunderstanding."
