For a long time, she stood before the throne. Behind her were the masks. The games. The Council. The promises. Everything the House had shown her. Everything it had offered her. And everything it wanted her to become. Then, somewhere beyond the darkness, she saw a door. It was open. There was no throne beyond it. No masks. No rules. No one waiting to tell her who she was supposed to be. Only light. For the first time, the House could not choose for her. She chose herself. And she walked toward the door. She left the House behind. But some places change you so deeply that leaving them does not mean escaping them. She left the House… but the House never left her. ♠️