Heena looked at the assembled nobles with cold amusement and said, "As Empress, I believe I have every right to delegate work as I see fit. Or are you suggesting I need your permission to govern my own empire?"
She let the question hang in the air.
"But perhaps you're correct," she continued, voice turning sharp. "Perhaps I've been too lenient. Too accommodating. Perhaps I've allowed you all to forget something very important."
She stood slowly, and the movement itself commanded silence.
"I didn't ask for your opinions on Prince Larus. I didn't request your approval. I informed you as a courtesy—a courtesy I'm beginning to think was wasted."
Then, without warning, she drew her sword and drove it straight down into the council table.
'CRACK.'
The ancient wood split down the middle, the blade buried so deep it stood upright on its own.
Several nobles jerked backward. Even her consorts flinched.
