Morning came quietly.
Too quietly.
The sun rose over the palace in soft gold, spilling light across marble floors and high windows, painting everything in warmth that did not match the tension in the air.
Because something felt… wrong.
The servants noticed it first.
They moved carefully through the halls, their footsteps lighter than usual, their voices hushed. No one said it aloud, but they all felt it—like a pressure building, like the air before a storm.
And at the center of it—
Was him.
Sebastian.
He stood outside Aliena's door.
Still.
Silent.
His hand hovered just inches from the wood, fingers slightly curled, as if even he hadn't decided whether to knock or not.
For a moment, he simply stared at the door.
Waiting.
Listening.
Nothing.
No movement.
No sound.
No sign that she was even awake.
His jaw tightened slightly.
Then—
He knocked.
Once.
Firm. Controlled.
"Aliena."
