[Lavinia's Pov]
The imperial study was dark.
Not because the lights were out. No—torches flickered on the walls, a fire danced in the hearth, and everything was warm and glowing.
But the mood?
Yeah. The mood was "someone just pissed off a dragon."
And that dragon, of course, was my beloved father.
Papa looked like someone had personally offended his soul. And that someone… was probably me.
He had that distant, stressed expression like he'd just lost an empire, or worse—found out I'd been sneaking out. Again.
And Theon? Oh, he looked like he was mentally rearranging his organs to survive whatever storm was brewing.
Ahem.
"Papa?" I peeked into the room, cradling my slightly tragic basket of half-dead cookies like it was a sacred offering from a tiny war hero. Or a bribe. Take your pick.
