Chapter 185: Letters
The private meeting room in the royal castle was normally reserved for matters of state, but today it hosted a gathering of an entirely different nature.
Three young women sat around the polished oak table, each holding an identical letter bearing the Van Ambrose family seal.
Princess Liona was the first to break the silence that had stretched between them since they had gathered. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a braid.
"Well," she said, placing her letter on the table with deliberate care. "I assume we all received the same message."
Mira Luminaris nodded. Her black dress was immaculate, every detail catered to show off her body.
"Chen Xing’s handwriting is quite distinctive," Mira observed.
Lianna Levenheart was the last to respond, her fiery red hair matching the spark of irritation in her green eyes. She wore practical riding clothes rather than a court dress, and her letter showed signs of having been read and reread multiple times.
"Distinctive is one word for it," Lianna said. "I prefer ’presumptuous.’ Who does Chen Xing think he is, sending out announcements about Grim’s personal life without consulting him first?"
"Chen Xing serves the van Ambrose family," Princess Liona replied carefully. "If he’s making such announcements, he must have some authority to do so."
"Authority or not," Mira interjected, "the contents are... significant."
All three women looked down at their letters again, though they had already memorized every word. The message was brief but earth-shattering in its implications: