[A few minutes ago]
"Are you sure about this?" Cedric asked, his brows furrowed with concern.
Austin and Valerie had only arrived half an hour ago, and now his son was asking to see his younger sister.
It had been a long time since Averis locked herself in that room—ever since the argument with Austin. No matter what Cedric and Sophie tried—gentle coaxing, firm boundaries, quiet patience—nothing worked. She either shut the door in their faces or threatened to disappear.
She had even said she would leave the capital if they didn't give her space.
Cedric couldn't bring himself to force her into anything. He wasn't the kind of father who would lock his daughter up just to keep her from running. So he let her be, even if it hurt.
Austin knew everything. He understood the reasons behind her silence, the weight behind her distance—but he never tried to fix it. For the longest time, it felt like Averis had simply vanished from his world.
