When the Blade Steps Forward
Lane, who had been silently observing from the distant rooftop, narrowed her eyes as she read the lips of the nobles gathered at the academy's front gate. The wind brushed against her long black hair, her figure perfectly still, blending into the shadow of the structure beneath her feet.
She had chosen this position carefully—far enough that even trained eyes would struggle to detect her, yet close enough to observe everything clearly.
And yet—
Her expression shifted.
Just slightly.
Because the man named Shawn—
Had looked directly at her.
Not in her general direction.
Not vaguely.
Directly.
A faint tension ran through her body, her fingers curling ever so slightly.
…He saw me.
That realization wasn't loud, but it was sharp.
Clean.
Unsettling.
