Elara was in the estate's library when they found her, reviewing Church reform proposals with the focused intensity that had become her signature since assuming High Priestess duties.
She looked up as they entered, and Seria watched her expression shift – recognition, understanding, something complicated that might have been relief mixed with pain.
"You told him," Elara said. Not a question.
"I declined the promotion. Chose this instead." Seria kept her voice steady despite sudden nervousness. "I'm – we're – I'd like to talk. All three of us. About how this works."
Elara set down her papers carefully, composed herself into something that looked like calm acceptance but Seria could see the tension beneath.
"Then we should talk properly. Sit, both of you."
They settled into chairs arranged in a loose triangle – no one positioned as authority, no clear hierarchy. Just three people about to have impossibly complicated conversation.
