Ink: Living Life as Serena Gleis

LXXII: The Reunion

The grand, dark doors creaked open, unveiling a familiar scene that struck me like a ghost from the past. There they were-the same cold, stone floors where I had once knelt, broken and defeated. Shadows cloaked the hall, casting an oppressive gloom, as though all traces of life had been drained from its walls.

Nothing had changed. Every detail remained as it was-the same towering arches, the same faded portraits on the walls, faces staring down at me with silent judgment. The very air seemed stagnant, heavy with memories I'd rather forget. This was the place I had loathed, a place that had held me captive in so many ways.

I took a step forward, my gaze sweeping over the empty hall. The silence was unsettling, the familiar hum of activity replaced by a hollow stillness. There were hardly any servants, no guards stationed in the usual places. It was as if the life had drained from this place entirely.

“Where is everyone?” I asked, hoping for some hint of news about Noelle. Pierre, who had been walking just ahead, paused and let out a heavy sigh.

"Most of the servants were relocated to the manor near the border," he explained, his voice laced with weariness. "Some stayed behind, but they’re likely scattered about, keeping to themselves.”

We resumed walking, my steps echoing in the vast emptiness. As we approached the path to my father's office, I waited for that familiar tightness in my chest, the way my breath used to catch with dread. But this time, I felt... calm, steady, the anxiety that once gripped me barely a whisper.

Maybe I really wasn’t that frightened girl anymore. Maybe the years away had forged someone stronger, someone who could walk these halls without fear. 

We stopped in front of the heavy doors, the same doors I had once dreaded. I reached out to stop Pierre before he could knock—not out of fear, but out of a desire to know who awaited us on the other side.

"Who’s inside?" I asked, my voice calm.

"The Duke is in a meeting with Sire Luca and Sire Emyr," Pierre replied. I nodded, unsurprised. I had expected Luca to be here. With a silent signal, Pierre knocked on the door. "It is I, my Duke. I bring a special guest with me," he announced.

The guards stationed by the door stepped forward, their hands moving in unison to pull the doors open, revealing the room beyond.

"I told you, now is not the time to—" My father’s voice, stern and impatient, halted abruptly when his eyes fell on me. Shock rippled across his face, his rigid composure melting as recognition dawned.

"Serena?" It was Emyr who broke the silence first. He stood up, his hands trembling as though he were staring at a ghost. His voice held a quiver, disbelief layered within it.

And then there was Luca, his face lighting up as he took me in. A knowing smirk tugged at his lips, as if he had been waiting for this moment all along.

My gaze stayed locked on Augustus. The shock on his face twisted into something darker, his expression hardening with every second he looked at me. He rose to his feet, his eyes narrowed, his voice filled with an unmistakable edge. "Who is she, Pierre?"

Pierre bowed, his voice steady despite the tension thickening in the room. "She is Serena, my Duke. Your daughter."

The Duke's face contorted with anger. In a flash, he was at Pierre's side, gripping him by the collar. "My daughter is dead," he hissed, his words laced with fury. "How dare you dishonor her memory like this?”

I watched them with cool detachment, unmoved by the spectacle. The disbelief, the outrage—it was as predictable as it was pitiful. Without a word, I stepped forward, ignoring the tension that gripped the room, and took my seat at the head of the table. I crossed my arms, my gaze level as I leaned back, a silent declaration that I was done waiting for their acceptance.