?Chapter 999:


    At first, the noise was muddled and distant—just another disturbance in the dark. But as it swelled, my mind wed its way to full awareness, and a sense of unease crept over me.


    Then, amid the noise, a desperate voice rang out. “Fire!”


    My eyes flew open. A brilliant ze flickered beyond the window, its fiery glow licking at the darkness.


    “Damn it!” I cursed under my breath, kicking off the covers. I grabbed a coat, threw it on in one swift motion, and bolted for the door.


    Once outside, my gaze locked onto the inferno raging next door. The neighboring vi was engulfed in mes, embers dancing wildly against the night sky.


    Fury surged through me. “Get moving!” I barked at the guards, motioning frantically. “Put it out now!”


    Atst, after what felt like an eternity, the mes were subdued. The vi stood in ruins—smoldering, ckened, barely standing. I turned sharply to the soldiers at my side, my patience worn thin.


    “What are you waiting for? Find out what caused this—now!”


    They scattered, rushing to obey. Momentster, they returned, their expressions tight with unease. One of them swallowed hard before stammering, “Sir, the initial report suggests a short circuit in the wiring.”


    I let out a sharp, incredulousugh. “That is all? You woke me in the middle of the night to give me a worthless excuse?” My voice sliced through the air like a whip. “Useless, the lot of you!”


    The soldiers stiffened, heads bowed, unwilling to meet my gaze.


    I exhaled sharply, irritation pulsing through me. Just as I turned on my heel, ready to retreat to my quarters, a thought struck me. Everyone from the main building had rushed out due to the fire. Everyone—except Evelyn and Jenny.


    Where were they?


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    A frown creased my brow. I turned to a nearby servant, about to demand an answer, when a soft voice drifted from behind me. “What happened?”


    I spun around. There they were—Evelyn and Jenny, standing in the dim glow of the dying fire. Dressed in thin nightwear, they trembled, their faces pale and shadowed with fear.


    Jenny clung to Evelyn, half-hidden behind her, eyes darting nervously between the ruined vi and the crowd.


    My gaze narrowed. “Why are you onlying down now?”


    Evelyn flinched at my tone, her fingers tightening around Jenny’s arm. “We—we went to bed early,” she murmured, her voice unsteady. “We were fast asleep when the noise woke us. We didn’t realize what was happening until just now.”


    She hesitated, then lifted her chin slightly, a flicker of something unreadable in her expression. “Why did no one tell us about the fire? What if it had spread over here?”


    For a brief moment, suspicion gnawed at the edges of my thoughts.


    Had I been too quick to trust the surface of things?


    But as I studied her frightened expression, my doubts wavered. Was I imagining things?


    Annoyance prickled beneath my skin. With a sharp re, I turned to the servant beside me. “Is this how you do your job? A fire breaks out, and you fail to inform them? If anything had happened—” My voice dropped to a menacing edge. “You would not have lived to regret it.” The servant paled, immediately dropping to her knees.


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