The Patriarch moved a few steps away from Daniel and stood before the massive lion sculpture behind the throne.
He placed his hands behind his back and stared for a few seconds at the sculpture, under whose stone gaze successive generations of Lionheart leaders had passed the crown of inheritance to their children.
"Anyway... I've chosen the heir." Then he said with the same calm tone, each word of which carried weight in the empty hall.
"Andreas?" Daniel didn't pause for even a moment to think.
Something like a real smile formed at the corner of the Patriarch's lips. Not a warm smile, but more like a mix of amusement and curiosity.
He slowly turned his head.
"You're not even going to pretend you didn't know?"
"If it had been anyone else, I would have had to reconsider your judgment." Daniel shrugged slightly.
The Patriarch's eyes grew cold for a moment.
The hall's silence was so deep that the faint sound of magical flames burning on the distant columns could be heard.
