Chapter 48 – The Sister Who Stood Aside
The inner sanctum of Gildcrest Fortress had not changed in years. White marble floors, blacksteel torches, and the red banners of the Luther Clan lining the halls. But as Jean stepped through the grand corridor, it felt smaller somehow—less like home, more like a battlefield waiting to be named.
Silvia was already waiting.
She stood at the center of the war chamber, arms folded, long silver hair tied back in a warrior's braid. The sunlight through the stained-glass window cast her in gold and blood-red hues.
Jean hadn't seen her sister in almost a year.
"You're late," Silvia said calmly.
Jean managed a smile. "You always did keep better time."
They didn't hug. They never did. But the air between them crackled with everything unsaid—grief, duty, and the impossible burden of being Luther daughters.
"I assume you've heard," Jean said, tossing the black scroll onto the war table.
Silvia didn't look at it. "Shadow Guild contract. On my head."
"You're awfully calm about that."
Silvia turned her gaze to the window. "I stopped being afraid of death the day I swore the Guardian's Oath. If the Guild comes, they'll find I haven't dulled."
Jean moved closer. "This isn't just a bounty. It's a move in the Succession War. Someone inside the Clan paid for it."
Silvia didn't flinch. "Then let them come."
"No." Jean stepped between her and the window. "Don't brush this off. I know you turned your back on the succession. But they haven't turned theirs from you. You're still a threat."
Silvia's voice was steel. "And you want me to hide?"
"I want you to fight." Jean's voice cracked with frustration. "For once, Silvia, fight for yourself. For this Clan. Don't just guard its walls while it crumbles inside."
Silvia stared at her for a long moment. "You're asking me to break my vow."
"I'm asking you," Jean said quietly, "not to die with your sword sheathed."
There was silence.
Then, slowly, Silvia reached for the sword at her back—the legendary twinblade Eclipsion—and laid it on the table between them.
"I will not fight for the Patriarch's throne," she said. "But if they come for me… I'll show them why I was called the Crimson Tempest."
Jean exhaled.
It wasn't the answer she wanted.
But it was a start.
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