Lucavion's fingers drummed once on the edge of the table, slow and thoughtful, as the silence of the suite resumed its hold.
Selienne Vermielle Lysandra.
First Princess of the Empire.
Older than the Crown Prince by four years, and yet the difference between them was far greater than that modest number suggested. While Lucien was still clawing his way through succession politics, she had already carved her place in the world and stepped beyond the academy's shadow. Graduated. Decorated. Established. Not just a noble with a title—but a tactician, a diplomat, and a wielder of influence shaped with terrifying precision.
In the fractured strands of memory he still held from Shattered Innocence, her presence had always been... thin.
And the reason for that was simple. Obvious, even.
Shattered Innocence wasn't her story.
It was Elara's.
