Chapter 111: The Title They Cannot Deny
Lyria's POV
Nobody had expected the earl to ask the question.
I wasn't even certain anyone had expected Earl Hawthorne to speak at all.
The silence that followed his words stretched thin and fragile, like glass about to crack under too much pressure. Every eye in the Grand Hall turned toward him, then toward the royal family, then back to me.
I stood there in the light the Queen had dragged me into, my hand trapped in hers, the scar on my face bare for all to see.
Duke Thorncrest was the first to break the silence.
He tilted his head slightly, his voice smooth and courteous, every syllable shaped with the polished grace of high nobility.
"How very perceptive of you, my lord," he said, his tone light, almost amused. "I have to say, Your Majesties, the earl raises a rather valid point."
There was a faint shift in the room.
A subtle leaning of attention.
