Paris – National Archives – November 11, 1937 – 1:12 PM
The silence in the stone corridors felt almost sacred. Claire walked with measured steps, feeling the weight of every name locked within the yellowing folders around her. Solène kept watch at the entrance. Madeleine, from a distance, read in silence, eyes sharp to every movement.
The anonymous note had been clear: "1919. Codename: LUX."
Claire slid open a metal drawer and searched for the file number. Found it.
File 919-LX-4. Classified.
She pulled the envelope free. The paper was thick, sealed with old wax — blue, not red.
As she opened it, she read the first line.
— "LUX is not an agent. It is a directive."
Claire frowned.
— "A directive?"
Below, typewritten:
"LUX – A protocol authorizing the preventive elimination of potentially destabilizing diplomatic figures, to be sacrificed in the name of European stability."
She nearly dropped the paper.
— "They created a permanent license for political assassination."
—
Outside – 1:29 PM
Armand watched from the shadow of a column. The Veil no longer existed, but he could still feel echoes of the old power. He knew exactly what Claire had just found.
And he knew what it would cost.
He lit a cigarette and muttered to himself:
— "You found LUX… now let's see if you can survive what comes next."
—
Presidential Office – 2:10 PM
An aide rushed into the room.
— "Mr. President. They've found LUX."
The man at the desk stopped writing. Closed his eyes. And simply said:
— "Then the archives… are no longer secrets. Prepare the final plan."
—
What had started as a scandal…
…was now a countdown.