Chapter 178: Letter and Pressure
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Her fingers touched the seal. She broke it gently. She unfolded the parchment.
The paper smelled faintly of a different city, different air, different ink.
Lily’s eyes moved across the words. Her expression shifted as she read. First excitement.
Then surprise. Then a tightening around her eyes. Then something quieter.
The City Lord watched her silently, not interrupting.
Lily’s voice was softer when she finally spoke.
"She wants me to return," Lily said.
The City Lord nodded.
"Yes," he replied.
Lily continued reading aloud, voice gradually becoming more emotional as the letter’s meaning settled into her.
"She says... she found a good teacher," Lily murmured. "A real one. A serious one. She says I should return for study."
Lily’s fingers tightened slightly on the letter.
"She says she is waiting for me," Lily said, voice quieter now. "She says... come back soon."
The City Lord’s eyes remained steady.
"She is your mother," he said. "She misses you even when she acts like work is more important."
Lily swallowed.
For a moment, she looked like she might cry.
But Lily was Lily.
She did not cry easily in front of her father.
Instead she lifted her chin stubbornly.
"I can go later," Lily said quickly. "After I spend time with Sekhmet."
The City Lord’s voice remained calm. But inside he was worried about Sekhmet stealing her daughter.
"You will go soon," he said.
Lily’s eyes flashed.
"Father—"
The City Lord cut her off gently, but firmly.
"Lily," he said. "This is not negotiable."
Lily stared at him. Then her voice dropped, suspicious.
"Is this because you do not like Sekhmet," she asked.
The City Lord’s expression did not change.
"I have no problem with Sekhmet," he said.
That was true. But it was not the full truth. Because the City Lord did not have a problem with Sekhmet. He had a problem with danger orbiting around Sekhmet.
Danger Lily did not understand yet. Lily looked down at the letter again. Her excitement and sadness wrestled on her face.
Finally she spoke quietly.
"Can I at least visit him tomorrow," she asked.
The City Lord’s eyes softened slightly.
"Yes," he said. "You can visit. You can spend time. You can help him if you want."
Lily’s face brightened slightly.
Then the City Lord added the line that crushed her hope again.
"Remember, you will return in the afternoon," he said. "No staying overnight. Not in Dawn House."
Lily’s shoulders slumped slightly.
"Fine," she muttered.
She tried to look angry. But the letter in her hands made it difficult to maintain anger. The City Lord leaned forward slightly and spoke in a softer tone.
"Your mother is waiting," he said. "Do not make her wait too long."
Lily nodded slowly, eyes on the letter.
"Yes," she said.
The City Lord watched her. He did not mention the hooded god woman. He did not mention favors. He did not mention the warning.
Because Lily was bright, but she was still a young woman. And too much truth at once could break a person faster than any enemy blade.
Lily folded the letter carefully and tucked it into her clothing. Then she forced a small smile.
"I will visit Sekhmet tomorrow," she said, trying to sound cheerful again. "Then I will think about the trip."
The City Lord nodded once.
"Good," he replied.
Lily turned and walked toward the door.
Halfway there she paused and looked back.
"Father," she said.
"Yes," the City Lord replied.
Lily hesitated, then spoke quietly.
"You will tell me if something is wrong, right," she asked. "If something is dangerous."
The City Lord’s eyes narrowed slightly.
His voice stayed calm.
"Yes," he said. "I will."
Lily nodded once, satisfied enough. Then she left. The footsteps faded down the corridor. The office returned to quiet.
The City Lord sat alone again. He looked at the half open drawer where the letter had been.
Then his gaze shifted to the empty space near the door where the hooded visitor had stood. He did not sigh. He did not curse. He simply sat in silence and thought one cold thought.
Trouble is gathering around that boy.
And the fact that gods were whispering his name meant the trouble was bigger than business.
Outside, Slik City continued its nightly breath.
And somewhere beyond the mansion walls, Dawn House held its own quiet secrets—two newborn true vampires learning rules, a tiny bat child hunting for warm blood and friendship, and a young man named Sekhmet Dawn who was building foundations without realizing how many eyes were beginning to count his steps.
A few hours later...
Morning reached Dawn House slowly.
The mansion never woke up all at once. It woke up in layers. First came the servants in the lower corridors, soft footsteps and quiet voices, the rustle of cloth, the faint scrape of broom against stone.
Then came the kitchen heat, the smell of bread and broth moving through the walls. Then came the inner courtyard, where light slowly poured across the paving stones like gold being tested for purity.
Sekhmet was already awake.
He stood in front of the wash basin in his room, sleeves rolled up, cold water running over his fingers. His face in the mirror looked sharper these days. Not older. Harder. More controlled. The boy who had entered purgatory had still carried a softness in the eyes, a kind of belief that effort alone could solve things.
That softness had been chained in a dark room and left to rot.
What remained now was focus.
He dried his hands and reached for his coat. As he fastened the front, he could already feel the day pressing against his mind. The auction. The Iron House. The void land construction. Auri’s shelter. Mira’s work. Vera and Vela’s training. Bat Bat’s hunger. Elena’s endless war against disorder.
He had too many moving parts now to afford a lazy morning.
The moment he opened his door, as always he found Elena standing. Her expression was calm. But her eyes say the opposite.