The following morning, the estate no longer felt like a place preparing for the Summit. It felt like the Summit itself. The remaining principal delegations arrived throughout the morning, their arrivals announced with little more than the sound of approaching cars and the quiet efficiency that had become second nature to everyone at Blackwood. After the previous day's introductions, I found the formal greetings came more easily. Names no longer blurred together. Neither did faces. Nathaniel's careful notes and Elder Rowan's advice had prepared me well. By midday, nearly every guest expected for the Summit had arrived. The estate buzzed with polite conversation as Alphas renewed old acquaintances, Lunas exchanged greetings, and council members quietly disappeared into smaller discussions before the official meetings had even begun. It struck me that diplomacy hadn't waited for the opening ceremony. It had already begun. --- One arrival, however, caught my attention before E
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