Gregoris received the notification that Charles had done his job and dismissed it without opening the details. He would read the report later. For now, the only thing that mattered was the simple fact that the target was gone.
He rose from his desk and stretched, a slow roll of his shoulders that betrayed how little he enjoyed sitting still for too long. He wasn't built for desks. He tolerated them because the Empire required signatures and because power was often written down before it was enforced.
But he'd had enough for the night.
He left the study and moved through the suite with the same control he moved through everything, soundless even on marble, the lights low, and the air trained to behave. The manor's ether wards recognized him and shifted in subtle, obedient ripples as he passed, letting him through like he was part of the structure itself.
He went looking for Rafael.
