The morning arrived with a strange calm.
No wind rushed through the trees.
No loud sounds came from the stables.
Even the birds seemed slower than usual, as if they too were waiting for something unseen.
And yet—
Something felt different.
Sylis woke before dawn.
For a few seconds, she remained still beneath the blankets, staring at the dark wooden ceiling above her. The room was dim, lit only by the faint gray light of early morning slipping through the curtains.
The house was silent.
Too silent.
Normally, she would hear something by now—footsteps in the corridor, the distant sound of Joran opening the stable doors, or the faint clatter of Mira beginning her morning work in the kitchen.
But today—
Nothing.
Then she remembered.
The letter.
The invitation.
Sunset.
The palace.
A quiet breath left her lips as the memory settled in her chest.
Slowly, she turned her head.
Thorn was already awake.
He lay beside her, staring up at the ceiling as if he were studying the patterns in the wood. His expression was calm, unreadable.
Neither of them spoke.
The silence between them was not hostile.
But it was not comfortable either.
It was the silence of two people thinking about the same thing… and choosing not to say it out loud.
---
When the first true light of morning arrived, the house began to wake.
Baron Thorn's residence stood slightly outside the busy center of the city, surrounded by land that had belonged to his family long before he inherited it.
Unlike the grand estates of powerful nobles, the baron's home was not built to impress guests or rival other aristocrats.
It was something else entirely.
A wide stone villa standing in the middle of a large garden.
Old trees surrounded the property, their branches forming long shadows across the grass in the early morning light. A narrow stone path crossed the garden and led toward the small stable near the edge of the land.
Only three horses lived there.
Thorn's dark stallion.
A lighter mare that Sylis sometimes rode when the weather was pleasant.
And a third horse—older, but still reliable—used mostly for errands and occasional work around the estate.
Near the stable stood another building.
The carpentry workshop.
Its large wooden doors were usually left open, allowing the scent of fresh wood and sawdust to drift through the garden like a familiar perfume.
Inside the villa, the household itself was small.
Only two servants helped manage the estate.
Mira, the housemaid, handled the cooking and cleaning and often kept an eye on Theo when Sylis was busy.
Joran, the groundsman, cared for the garden, the stable, and anything else that required strong hands and patience.
It was not a large household.
But it was enough.
---
Breakfast that morning was simple.
Warm bread.
Honey.
Cheese.
The smell of freshly brewed tea filled the dining room as Mira moved quietly between the kitchen and the table.
Ronald was already seated.
Age had added lines to his face and silver to his hair, but his eyes remained sharp and observant. He spoke little in the mornings, preferring silence over unnecessary conversation.
Thorn sat across from Sylis.
Neither of them mentioned the letter.
Theo, however, seemed completely unaware that anything unusual was happening.
The little boy was far too busy with his current discovery.
He slowly moved his spoon through the bowl of soup in front of him, watching the small circles forming on the surface as if they were a fascinating puzzle.
Sometimes he lifted the spoon halfway toward his mouth—
Then paused.
Then forgot entirely what he had intended to do.
Sylis couldn't help smiling.
For a moment, the house felt peaceful.
Almost ordinary.
Theo suddenly laughed.
The bright, careless sound filled the room like sunlight breaking through clouds.
Sylis smiled instinctively.
Thorn noticed.
Not the laughter.
Her smile.
It appeared so naturally… as if she had forgotten, even for a second, that this house had once been unfamiliar to her.
---
After breakfast, Thorn stood from the table.
"I'll check the workshop," he said.
No one questioned it.
The workshop had always been his place.
---
The morning air was cool as Thorn crossed the garden path.
Golden light filtered gently through the leaves of the trees, scattering across the grass like broken pieces of sunlight.
Inside the workshop, someone was already waiting.
Leo.
A boy from the nearby neighborhood.
He wasn't officially an apprentice yet, but he appeared almost every day with the same stubborn determination to learn.
The boy straightened immediately when Thorn entered.
"Master Thorn!"
A faint smile touched Thorn's lips.
"You're early."
Leo scratched the back of his head.
"I wanted to finish the carving you showed me yesterday."
Thorn approached the workbench and picked up the wooden piece the boy had been working on.
The cuts were uneven.
The shape was rough.
But effort was clear in every mark.
"Hmm," Thorn said quietly.
"Not bad."
Leo's eyes widened.
"Really?"
Thorn glanced briefly at the boy's hands.
They were slightly red from hours of clumsy carving.
Children's enthusiasm.
The thought crossed his mind quietly.
He set the carved piece down and picked up a smaller block of wood.
"You have the day off."
Leo blinked.
"Off?"
Thorn handed him the block.
"Carve something into it."
"Anything?"
"Anything."
The boy's face lit up.
"But I'll check it tomorrow."
The excitement instantly turned into determination.
"Yes, Master!"
Thorn nodded once and stepped outside again.
---
The garden was quiet.
Too quiet.
Thorn walked slowly along the stone path, his thoughts drifting elsewhere.
The king.
The prince.
The strange invitation sent through the royal physician.
None of it felt accidental.
Something was moving behind the scenes.
Something he could not yet see clearly.
---
Suddenly—
A blur of movement crossed the grass.
"Theo!"
Sylis's voice echoed across the garden.
Thorn lifted his head.
Theo ran across the lawn as fast as his small legs could carry him, holding a wooden spoon like it was a knight's sword.
His laughter rang freely through the air.
Behind him, Sylis chased.
"Theo, slow down!"
She was laughing despite herself, trying to catch the child before he tripped over the uneven ground.
Mira followed behind them anxiously.
"Master Theo, please be careful!"
But Theo did not understand their concern.
All he saw was that his mother was chasing him.
To him—
It was a game.
He suddenly changed direction.
Sylis nearly collided with a tree while trying to follow him.
She finally caught him, lifting him into her arms before he could escape again.
Theo protested loudly, waving his spoon like a defeated warrior.
Sylis laughed.
A real laugh.
Light.
Uncontrolled.
And completely unaware that Thorn was watching.
She noticed him only after a moment.
Their eyes met.
She gave him a small smile…
as if it were a brief moment of calm between two things neither of them wished to think about.
But when their eyes met—
they both remembered.
Sunset.
The palace.