Damon broke the seal on the envelope with a single, elegant, precise movement, as if he were opening not a letter, but an invitation to another war.
Aria and Ester held their breath.
It was always like this when the name Elizabeth appeared.
The room changed.
The air grew thicker.
The lightness—the warmth, the kisses, the jealousy—all vanished, replaced by a cold, calculated tension.
Damon unfolded the paper and read silently.
His eyes moved quickly line by line, his jaw tightening with each sentence. No surprise… but definitely absolute attention.
When he finished, he let out a simple:
"Hmm."
Ester almost exploded.
"Hmm?! Is that all you have to say?! Damon, the letter could be about a dangerous mission, or about—"
Aria stamped her foot impatiently.
"Read it aloud. Or are we going to have to guess?"
Damon slowly raised his gaze, first to Aria, then to Ester… and then back to the paper.
He wasn't in a hurry.
He never was.
And that made them both even more tense.
