#Chapter 33 Under Pressure

Work is the only thing that makes sense right now. Prince Kaine’s shifting moods, Jasper’s advances, the unspoken weight of everything between us, it’s all too much. The only place I feel steady is in motion, buried in logistics, guard rotations, intel. So I stay in motion. I go over everything we’ve collected about Lady Chantarelle again, cross-reference estate land records, and push for any detail we missed. I chase the information like a lifeline, trying to uncover something that will shift the investigation forward and distract me from the mess pressing in on all sides. In training, I don’t slow down. I throw myself into drills with everything I have. My arms ache from the weight of it. My lungs burn. But it’s good. Physical strain leaves less room for anything else. Robert watches me, but he keeps his distance. His silence is almost worse than his barbs used to be. I can feel the way his eyes follow my movements across the yard. He doesn’t say a word, but his presence dr