The mansion had not stayed quiet for long.
By the time Arthur found him again, the air inside had already changed. More footsteps crossed the corridors, more servants moved through the halls with careful speed, and the silence that usually belonged to Euclid had thinned beneath the pressure of approaching nobles, guards, and attendants. Even before Arthur spoke, Trafalgar could tell something had shifted.
Arthur stopped a few steps away and bowed his head. "Young master." When he raised it again, his face had grown more set than before. "Both families have arrived. Some have already entered the estate, and the rest are being escorted in now."
Trafalgar looked at him for a second without answering.
So it had begun.
