{Third Person}
Mrs. Woods held Amara's gaze for a quiet moment, as though she was carefully deciding how much of the truth she should reveal.
Then she drew in a slow breath and moved to sit properly, her expression turning more serious than before.
"Nora did not come into this residence in the usual way," she began, her tone measured and deliberate. "She was among a group of young women sent here on the Queen's orders."
Amara did not speak this time. She simply watched her, her hand resting absentmindedly on Ginger as she listened.
"They were brought to the courtyard," Mrs. Woods continued, her voice lowering slightly. "All of them were presented at once… and they were told that His Highness would choose one."
A faint pause followed, as if even recounting it required restraint. "But His Highness did not come out."
The silence in the room deepened.
