The Arclaire estate seemed to have remained exactly the same as it had. Sera had been ten at the time and saw it for the first time on her mother's wedding day…
Grand!
The house itself smelled of expensive incense and polished wood. It was beautiful in the way noble houses were beautiful.
Carefully curated.
Meticulously maintained.
And utterly devoid of warmth...
The moment the butler ushered her into the drawing room, memories rose from the corners of her mind. Countless evenings spent standing too straight beneath her mother's critical gaze while pretending to be the perfect blended family.
Only to be discarded the second the party was over…
Lessons about posture, etiquette, obedience---
About how a daughter's value was measured by how useful she was to the family...
Back then, Sera had tried so desperately to be enough.
Now---
She mostly wondered why she had ever bothered...
