## Chapter 39: A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing
Seraphina, Emperor Corvus's envoy, arrived at Lumina's gates with a retinue of finely dressed attendants and an air of practiced diplomacy. Her beauty was both alluring and unsettling , her smile a carefully crafted mask that barely concealed the shrewd intelligence and steely resolve that lay beneath.
Alex, ever cautious, received Seraphina in the council chambers, a group of Lumina's most trusted advisors flanking her. Seraphina presented her credentials, a meticulously worded scroll bearing the seal of the Zalthuran Empire, and launched into a carefully prepared speech.
