The wax seal sizzled as the flame from Cassandra's candle kissed its surface, dripping red onto the thick parchment. The last of the letters was done. One by one, they'd be delivered to the Capital and to every Adventurers' Guild across the Sturgon. A proclamation, plain and bold: the dungeon had awoken. Near her land. Near their forest.
She knew the consequences.
The moment she sent these, the floodgates would open. Explorers, mercenaries, scholars, knights, and worse—nobles—would descend like carrion birds. Her tranquil corner of the world would become a frenzy of ambition. And her careful, delicate relationship with him—with Shennong—would be under constant scrutiny.
There was also the problem with Baron Jamie, but she knew it was about time she made a decision about him. It wasn't as if she could keep him in this house forever like a piece of living meat.
There would be no turning back.
As she pressed her seal into the final letter, a soft knock echoed from the door.
