The royal court had never known such silence.
A silence so profound it felt like the breath of fate itself was holding still.
The flickering light from the enchanted torches danced across the marble floors, casting shadows over nobles frozen in their seats and guards gripping the hilts of their swords. The scent of tension, sweat, and stunned disbelief filled the room, almost choking.
At the center of it all stood Heiko, tall and unyielding, beside his mate River, who held her chin high despite the weight of every eye on her. At the other end, in heavy enchanted chains, stood Crown Prince Thas, a man now stripped of every regal illusion, looking like a deer caught before the hungry eyes of predators. His breaths were shallow. His eyes wide. His once arrogant posture wilted like a flower
