### 1. PROSE EVIDENCE

*   **Quote 1 (Early):** "The High Dais of Blackthorn Keep gleamed under torchlight veined with hemomantic runes, but beneath her blood-soaked silk gloves, Isabella Voss felt only the insistent lash of the Peace Vow, demanding her silence."
    *   **Commentary:** This opening effectively establishes the high-stakes physical cost of the magic system while immediately grounding the reader in Isabella’s internal physical agony.
*   **Quote 2 (Mid):** "He bypassed the traditional path of the procession, cutting a direct line through the center of the hall. He ascended the dais with a grace that felt like a threat."
    *   **Commentary:** The prose successfully uses spatial movement to characterize Damien’s dominance and disregard for Blackthorn tradition.
*   **Quote 3 (Late):** "He noticed the way the silk clung too tightly, the way a dark stain was beginning to creep toward her lace cuffs. 'You’re bleeding,' he whispered, a sound meant only for her."
    *   **Commentary:** This passage heightens the tension by collapsing the distance between the public facade and the private physical secret Isabella is desperate to hide.
*   **Quote 4 (Late):** "Damien’s expression shifted. The mocking light in his eyes vanished, replaced by something dark and unreadable. He felt the tremor in her arm, the way her magic was fraying under the strain of the Peace Vow’s punishment."
    *   **Commentary:** This shift in prose focus from mockery to "dark and unreadable" intensity signals the transition from antagonist to complex love interest as outlined in the arc notes.

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### 2. CHARACTER VOICE AUDIT

**Isabella Voss**
*   **Line:** “Pray tell, Lord Reginald, does the Blackthorn Coven always treat its guests with such clinical fascination? Or is this scrutiny reserved solely for those you fear might still possess a spine?”
*   **Signature Vocabulary/Tics:** YES. Uses the "Pray tell" sarcasm prefix.
*   **Avoids Forbidden Patterns:** YES. No casual slang or "whatever" used; maintains regal corrections.
*   **Emotional Register:** YES. Hyper-vigilant and performing the "regal correction" mask as dictated by her character state.

**Damien Blackthorn**
*   **Line:** “The vassal-bride looks pale, Reginald. Has the Peace Vow been biting? Or is she simply overwhelmed by the... magnificence of her new home?”
*   **Signature Vocabulary/Tics:** YES. His voice captures the "silken menace" and "cruelly intrigued" emotional profile.
*   **Avoids Forbidden Patterns:** YES. No groveling or signs of weakness.
*   **Emotional Register:** YES. Focuses on dismantling Isabella’s composure.

**Lord Reginald Thorne**
*   **Line:** “The lineage of Voss is ancient, though notoriously... unstable. We shall see if the Blackthorn soil can tame such wild growth.”
*   **Signature Vocabulary/Tics:** YES. His "dry rasp" and clinical, acquisitive language ("acquisition," "ledger books") fit his role as the architect of annexation.
*   **Avoids Forbidden Patterns:** YES. No slang; maintains aged, commanding presence.
*   **Emotional Register:** YES. Triumphant and dehumanizing toward Isabella.

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### 3. STRENGTHS TO PRESERVE

*   **Internal Monologue/Tic:** The recurring panic phrase "Blood. Blood everywhere" (late mid) effectively mirrors the Imperfection Signature in her voice profile ("repeats key words obsessively when panicked").
*   **Physical Habits:** The focus on her "blood-soaked silk gloves" (early) and her habit of "fiddling with" or "brushing the Vow-Sealed Locket" (mid) are excellent physical anchors that tie directly to her character sheet.
*   **The "Vessel" Metaphor:** The dialogue between Isabella and Reginald regarding her status as an "unmarked vessel" (mid) perfectly setup the conflict for the "Undamaged Vessel" facade loop.

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### 4. MUST-FIX -- CONTINUITY

*   **ORIGINAL:** "The Peace Vow hissed in her mind, punishing her for even thinking of striking him." (late)
*   **PROBLEM:** The world state definitions for the Peace Vow state it "punishes Isabella’s internal dissent with physical pain." This implies it triggers on *dissent* or *breaking the vow of peace*, but the previous context "demanding her silence" (early) implies a restrictive geas. If the Vow demands silence, she should not be able to issue "regal corrections" so freely throughout the chapter.
*   **FIX:** "The Peace Vow hissed in her mind, punishing her for the wave of sheer hostility she felt toward her new husband." (Aligns better with the "non-aggression" rule rather than a silence rule that she is clearly breaking).

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### 5. MUST-FIX -- CLARITY

*   **ORIGINAL:** "Damien didn't speak. Instead, he reached down and grabbed her right hand. Before she could protest, he peeled back the edge of her silk glove."
*   **PROBLEM:** Tension logic. Earlier in the scene, the text states the gloves look "deep crimson" because they are "saturated" and "clung too tightly." It is unclear if anyone else in the hallway—or the Elders just a few yards away—can see this massive amount of blood. If she is "leaking pieces all over the floor" (as Damien says), her exit through the court should have been a disaster.
*   **FIX:** Clarify that the saturation is becoming visible *only now*. "He caught her just as the first drop of undeniable crimson escaped the silk, threatening to leave a trail on the stone floor."

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### 6. OPTIONAL SUGGESTIONS

*   **Suggestion:** Lean harder into the specific "Is it not?" verbal tic.
*   **RELEVANT QUOTE:** “I am not... broken,” she whispered back, her vision blurring at the edges. “I am refined. Is it not... exactly what you wanted?” (mid-late).
*   **REASON:** The voice profile states she uses this even when alone "as if seeking ghostly affirmation." Adding one usage of this during her internal panic moment before Damien catches her would reinforce the "haunting template" of her mother.

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### 7. FORBIDDEN CHANGES / NON-GOALS

*   **DO NOT** smooth out Isabella's fragmented thoughts during the binding ritual (e.g., "*Blood. Blood everywhere*"). These are intentional voice markers for her panic.
*   **DO NOT** remove the "Pray tell" or "Pray" prefixes. They are sardonic verbal tics essential to her characterization.
*   **DO NOT** reduce the frequency with which she "traces the faint crimson scars" or refers to her mother’s death; these are core psychological templates.

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### 8. VERDICT

**VERDICT: REVISE**
**SCORE: 84**
**JUSTIFICATION:** The prose is evocative and adheres strictly to the complex voice signatures provided, particularly Isabella's "regal correction" and sarcastic "Pray" tics. However, a REVISE is required to address a continuity conflict regarding the Peace Vow's mechanics (silence vs. non-aggression) and a clarity issue regarding how much blood is visible to the court during her exit.