The Cost She Did Not Outsource
The message did not come through the ledger.
That was how I knew it was personal.
It arrived by hand, sealed with the mark of North Ridge, carried by a runner who would not meet my eyes. His steps slowed as he approached, not from fear, but from the weight of what he carried.
Lucien noticed immediately.
"From where," he asked.
The runner swallowed. "From the inner wards."
My chest tightened.
"Speak," I said.
"They have invoked kin protection," he replied. "Under the old codes."
The words landed harder than any accusation Stonecliff had made.
Lucien stiffened. "That code has not been used in generations."
"Yes," the runner said quietly. "Because it requires consent from the Sovereign."
Silence stretched.
Cassian stepped closer, voice careful. "What are they asking."
I took the seal and broke it myself.
The message was brief.
Precise.
Cruel in its restraint.
