[@ineffable]
Upon closer inspection, Evelyn's ailment appeared more disturbing. The gray hue of her skin came from blackened blood flowing through her veins. Dark traces had formed around her eyes. Any mage worth her salt would recognize the symptoms:

Void possession.

And she would know what it meant: that her stepsister was either gone, or nearly so. The possessing Voidspawn could dominate any lifeless but functional human body, and if the host were on the verge of death, they could expedite the process by shoving out the victim's soul. Dual possession was rare, so if a person became corrupted, it almost always meant the original soul inside it was gone. Whatever the king's faults, killing Evelyn and destroying the Voidspawn with a spell of some sort was probably the best course of action- if he could pull it off. Only the Grim Reaper could do it reliably.

Yet, Sir Byron had recently observed Evelyn crying in her bedroom. Either 1) he was lying, 2) the Voidspawn was crying, or 3) the possession was recent.