The air in the long, secluded corridor felt different – still, silent, as if the very stone absorbed all sound. Ondine Bellerose walked beside Alaric Steele, her hand resting lightly on his arm. The elegant sway in her hips was a practiced facade, masking the storm raging beneath her poised exterior. 'A secret chamber?' she thought, her mind racing. 'He actually keeps a place hidden, even from his own family? Just for… occasions?'
He led her down a winding staircase that seemed to descend deeper than necessary, away from the main levels of the manor. The walls here were bare stone, clean but unadorned, a stark contrast to the opulence above. No guards stood watch, no servants bustled. This was a place meant to be utterly private.
