The guard's words dropped like a boulder into still water.
It felt as if time was frozen for a moment.
Everyone stared at him, breath caught, eyes wide, minds blank.
"What… did you just say?" Jasmine asked, voice trembling despite herself.
Absurd.
Impossible.
Ridiculous.
That was a Nether Wolf pack.
How could Zora still be alive, much less slay the Wolf King?
All gazes snapped back to the guard, searching his face for cracks, for hesitation, for any sign that this was a mistake or a cruel joke.
"Princess Consort slew the Nether Wolf King alone," the guard repeated, every word crisp. "The entire pack then was dispersed, afraid to confront her."
Silence.
A suffocating, disbelieving silence.
A few ministers even blinked hard, as if hoping the scene might reset into something more sensible. But the guard stood firm, resolute.
"Did you see it with your own eyes?" Prime Minister Henry demanded sharply.
"Yes," the guard said without wavering. "I saw everything."
