The cold air of the hallway hit Clara’s bare skin like a sharp shock. She looked down at the trembling housemaid holding the thick white envelope. Dark streaks of wet, crimson red smeared across the front paper, catching the dim morning light. The metallic smell of fresh blood hung heavy in the quiet corridor, turning Clara's stomach into a tight, painful knot.

"Where did you find this?" Clara asked, her voice dropping into a scared whisper so she would not wake Lucian in the bedroom behind her.

"The night guard found it pinned to the front iron gates," the maid choked out, tears spilling over her pale cheeks. "They said...