Chapter 197

CHAPTER 39… VALENTINA The palace felt different the moment Andres crossed the outer gates. Not emptier, but the air sharpened, like a blade left unsheathed on a table where everyone could see it. The wards adjusted to his absence in measured layers, closing around Luciano and me with a precision that was almost reverent. They did not panic, and that mattered. I stood on the upper balcony with Luciano in my arms, watching the procession disappear beyond the city’s eastern rise. Andres did not look back. He never did when he left on purpose. Looking back implied hesitation, and hesitation was something our enemies had learned to exploit. Luciano stirred faintly, sensing the change even if he didn’t understand it. His small hand tightened against my sleeve, in awareness. “Dad…” He whispered softly. “He’s still here,” I murmured softly, more for myself than for him. “Your father doesn’t leave pieces of himself behind.” The palace hummed in agreement. That was the first sign that Andres’s d