The room was surprisingly simple.
Ryn had expected overflowing gold, jeweled statues, perhaps a gaudy display of wealth fitting the House of Radiance.
Instead, it was a quiet lounge lit by pale crystal lamps—soft, steady, and almost serene.
At the center sat a crescent-shaped sofa with two cups of steaming tea already prepared, their aroma drifting faintly through the air.
And on that sofa sat the same woman he'd seen the night he first stepped into this place.
Lady Maria Blackwood.
She was dressed in another black dress, but this time, opting for radiant gold trims that complimented the darks well. Her hair was pinned with a neat crescent moon-shaped accessory, elegant and deliberate.
Ryn's instincts screamed that the woman in front of him was a high-ranking noble.
But no matter how he looked at it…House Blackwood did not exist.
Maria lifted her eyes as though she'd been waiting for him. A small, refined smile curved at the edges of her lips.
