"I understand," he murmured.
Yet, was it that easy for him to stand alone like this, watch this unfold….
It was not.
"I do too," Selphine said quietly, eyes locked on the girl still trying not to flinch as the noble's boot crept closer. "That doesn't mean I like it."
But that was the nature of the world they lived in. Here, in the capital, at the heart of magic's empire, justice was an abstract ideal. What mattered was power, connection, and knowing when to pick battles.
And these two—this baron boy and his sister—they were no one. At least, not yet.
The crowd around the terrace had mostly turned away. Some muttered. A few looked on with unease. But none of them acted. Because no one interfered with the sons of counts. Not when the bloodlines behind them could unravel entire estates.
The girl finally tried to speak. "Please. We'll leave—just let my brother—"
"Now you're talking?" the noble leaned further, and for the first time, his fingers brushed her sleeve.
