The bell tower struck twice at dawn, a sound that echoed through the stone corridors of Langley estate. Two chimes: one for a visitor and the second for where they came from.
From the capital.
Selene stood by her window, already dressed. She watched a small black carriage slowly approach the outer gates, flanked by green-plumed royal guards. Her breath stayed steady, but her fingers tensed lightly on the curtain.
Elias walked in without knocking. "They've come."
She turned to look at him. "They couldn't ignore us forever."
"A royal envoy with a sealed order," Elias said. "Probably from your father."
"He is not my father," Selene replied quickly.
Elias didn't argue. He continued, "They want control or an excuse."
Selene moved past him and out the door. "Then we will give them neither."
The great hall of Langley had been cleaned and polished for the occasion. The stained glass above the dais caught the morning light, casting long arcs of color across the stone floor. Scholars stood in the upper balconies, silent witnesses to the rare visit.
Selene and Elias waited by the high table as the envoy entered. He was an older man with a pale face, eyes the color of cloudy steel, and a scroll bound in gold wax clutched close to his chest.
He bowed, just enough to be polite.
"By order of His Majesty King Henry Cromwell," the envoy began, "Langley must present a full disclosure of its recent changes in administration, trade expansions, and the identity of its acting authority."
He held the scroll out to her.
Selene took it, broke the seal, and read it silently. The wording was precise but thinly veiled. The King demanded control under the guise of inquiry. He wanted names, compliance, a leash.
She lowered the scroll. "Langley's activities have been completely legal. All trade is properly taxed under crown rules, and the academy's reopening is privately financed."
The envoy's lips pressed tighter. "And who authorized these changes?"
"I did," Selene said.
The envoy raised an eyebrow. "By what decree?"
"By necessity." She stepped forward slightly. "Langley was abandoned. Its people forgotten. I found them starving, and its systems rotting. I fixed what was broken. The King should be pleased."
"That is not how authority works," the envoy replied.
Elias finally spoke. "Authority fails when it forgets its purpose."
The envoy turned to him. "You must be Lord Elias Langley."
"I am," Elias said. "And I stand by her."
Selene held the envoy's gaze. "Tell the King Langley is loyal. But if he wants to regain influence here, he must cooperate, not intimidate."
The envoy's expression remained unreadable. "This change of tone in Langley interests many beyond the palace. Be careful not to overstep."
Selene stepped closer, close enough for her presence to shift the air.
"I don't overstep," she said quietly. "I rebuild what others left in ashes."
The envoy's composure faltered for just a moment. A flicker of unease crossed his face. He bowed deeper and turned to leave.
The doors closed behind him.
In her study later that afternoon, Selene stood over a map of the duchy, pressing a brass marker over the port roads.
Elias entered. "You handled him."
"He wasn't the threat. The letter was," Selene replied.
He watched her for a moment. "You reacted too quickly. You understood the implications faster than I could read them."
She turned, brows slightly raised. "I've always been good with words."
"Not like that. You didn't pause. It was as if you saw the entire conversation before it happened."
Selene didn't respond. She looked past him toward the window.
Elias stepped closer. "You're sharper than you were. Your instincts, your memory, even your presence—it reacts more."
Selene said, "The pressure is constant now. I've learned to think through it."
He narrowed his eyes. "Selene…"
She faced him completely. "I'm still in control."
"For now," Elias said. Then added, "Just don't lie to yourself longer than you need to."
She didn't respond as he left.
That evening, Selene sat alone in her room, the letter spread on the desk again. She reread it, her eyes scanning the lines back and forth. The weight of the gold seal still lingered on her fingertips.
She remembered every word, every pause the envoy made, every breath he took. It all replayed perfectly in her mind. Her thoughts had never raced this quickly. Each minute felt stretched. Each heartbeat clearer.
She reached for a blank sheet and wrote down the next three questions she expected from the royal court without thinking.
Then, she folded it.
Preemptive countermeasures, she noted in her mind.
Her gaze drifted to the window. Below, the city glowed. Langley was alive.
But her chest felt heavier, not with fear but with something building. She sensed the weight of something watching from within her own body.
She stood, brushing the thoughts aside.
She had more work to do.