Part II – The Duchess Returns (Reworked)
The carriage rolled past the broken crest of Ravensdale without slowing, the once-proud sigil hanging crooked above the gate like something that had simply given up.
Aria did not bother to look at it for long.
She had seen worse on the journey here.
Beside her, Zelda stretched with quiet satisfaction, her jeweled collar catching what little light the overcast sky allowed. The cat flicked her tail once, as if acknowledging the place and dismissing it in the same breath.
"You have better taste than I do," Aria murmured, fingers brushing along her back. "You knew to leave when the food stopped being worth the stay."
The carriage came to a halt in the courtyard.
No servants rushed forward.
No steward announced her arrival.
The silence was not dignified.
It was empty.
