The corridors of the Ministry of Justice were quieter than usual, though not empty. A hundred small sounds filled the air — the scratch of quills, the click of boots on marble, the rustle of paper — but the tension was thick enough that even whispers seemed too loud.
When Serena entered, the atmosphere shifted.
Heads turned subtly. Clerks who had only read her name on reports now saw her in the flesh — the former crown princess, the fallen lady, the Minister's… whatever she was now.
Her veil was drawn low, her steps measured, but her heart felt like it was battering her ribs.
She had told herself she came for Leonard.
But she knew that wasn't entirely true.
She came because she couldn't bear not to come.
Because every hour she spent waiting — wondering what Christopher would do next — felt like drowning.
When she reached the door to his office, the guard hesitated before letting her in. Everyone in this building had learned to read the air around their minister.
