A full month had passed since Lucien's extravagant birthday celebration. The days that followed had unfolded in a surprisingly tranquil rhythm, filled with the soft laughter of his younger siblings, the rustle of leaves in the Velebrandt gardens, and the occasional distant echo of knights training in the courtyard. Lucien had, for the most part, avoided pushing himself to investigate the nature of his awakened power. Though his mind occasionally drifted toward curiosity, he chose instead to indulge in the calm—a precious reprieve from the storm he knew was waiting ahead.