Morning sunlight filtered through the tall, arched windows, painting long bands of gold across the polished marble floor. The quiet private chamber overlooked the inner gardens, a space far removed from the grandeur of throne rooms and ceremonial halls. No kneeling officials stood in attendance, no banners or fanfare announced the meeting. This room existed for conversations that required honesty rather than ceremony—yet even here, the weight of the Empire lingered heavily in the air.
Luke sat far more stiffly than he usually did. Not because the chair was uncomfortable, nor because the room was cold. It was because, seated across from him with cups of steaming tea resting neatly on the table, were two of the most powerful people in the Empire of Virencia: Emperor Ares and Empress Adamantia. They wore no crowns at the moment, no symbols of rule beyond their presence alone, but that presence was impossible to ignore.
