"Hello."
Elara's fingers tightened against the edge of the desk.
For a heartbeat, the greeting seemed to confirm everything.
Isolde had paused beside her.
Something in Elowyn Caerlin had disturbed her enough to break the smooth rhythm of her steps. The examination notice had bent between her fingers. Even the Light moving beneath her glove had shifted.
Then came the greeting.
'She knows.'
Cold gathered beneath Elara's skin.
She raised her eyes carefully.
Isolde's lavender gaze had already moved past her.
Toward Lucavion.
A chair shifted behind Elara.
Lucavion released a quiet breath.
The pressure around her chest loosened, though embarrassment immediately tried to take its place.
'It was for him.'
Of course.
Isolde had stopped beside Lucavion's desk.
Elara had simply been sitting in the path between them.
Whispers began almost immediately.
"Lady Valoria knows him?"
"Lucavion?"
"Perhaps she saw the entrance examination."
Elara kept her face forward.
