The room inside Nyra's church was dim, lit only by a flickering oil lamp that cast long, unkind shadows across the walls.
Selene sat in a carved wooden chair, her posture regal, but her expression unreadable.
A sharp edge lingered behind her stillness.
To her right, the Divine General leaned casually against the wall, one hand covering his mouth — doing a poor job hiding the smirk that tugged at his lips.
In front of them, Kael and Nyra knelt in silence.
Kael stared at the floor, jaw clenched. He wanted — desperately — to strangle the General.
One warning. One single warning would've been nice.
Beside him, Nyra fidgeted. Her eyes darted between Selene and the floor, utterly confused, still not understanding what she'd done wrong.
Selene's voice broke the silence, calm but cutting.
"For the third time, Nyra," she said, "the devil asked you to contact Kael… the third son of a Duke… to purchase this orphanage, so you could join the Church of the Night Goddess?"
