The breakfast hall remained quiet after the flicker passed.
Aeris kept her hand steady against the table, willing her heartbeat to slow. The image of the blood-streaked corridor lingered at the edge of her vision like an afterimage from staring into bright light.
"Aeris."Her father folded his hands together.
Her shadow on the marble floor shifted closer to the table's center, thin and elongated in the morning light.
"We will be discussing your future today," Cassian Vale said.
Her stomach tightened.
Lucien leaned back slightly in his chair, watching her with careful attention. He had always been observant — even before everything went wrong.
Selene Vale lifted her teacup slowly, eyes lowered.
"The academy entrance ceremony is in two weeks," Cassian continued. "You will attend."
But now Aeris knew what waited there.
Her pulse quickened again.
The candles along the far wall flickered once, though the windows were closed.
"I understand," Aeris said. Her voice was steady.
Inside, something darker stirred — anticipation.
Lucien stood when breakfast ended.
"Aeris," he said quietly. "Walk with me."
The Vale estate corridors were long and quiet, lined with polished stone and framed martial crests from generations past.
Aeris remembered these hallways differently. In her last life, they had felt safe.
Lucien walked beside her in silence until they reached the training courtyard.
Morning wind moved gently across the open space.
"You caught the glass before it fell," he said.
"Yes."
"You knew it would fall."
Aeris turned toward him.
Lucien's eyes were sharp — the same eyes that had watched her execution without speaking.
"You're different," he said.
Her shadow trembled faintly on the stone tiles between them.
"You're imagining things," she replied.
Lucien studied her for a long moment.
Then he exhaled.
"Be careful at the academy," he said.
But the way he said it felt heavier than a warning It felt like regret.
[End of the chapter 3.]