The courtroom of Eldoria buzzed with anticipation.
Ministers stood in their jeweled robes, the dukes and duchesses arrayed in formal lines.
The consorts whispered behind painted fans, eyes sharp as blades.
The Empress sat rigid on her seat, her veil drawn low.
They had been summoned urgently. The Emperor, they thought, would speak. None suspected the truth.
The heavy doors creaked open. Every head turned.
Not the Emperor.
It was Alaric and Daphne.
Hand in hand, walking as though the marble floor itself belonged to them.
Confusion rippled through the chamber, but instinct won out. Their voices rose in unison.
"Your Imperial Highnesses."
All bowed low. All but one.
The Empress sat unmoving, her chin raised in defiance.
Alaric's expression did not flicker. He stepped forward, "The Emperor will not be attending."
Murmurs exploded instantly.
"What do you mean?"
"Why would His Majesty remain absent now of all times?"
