Chapter 121: The Step That Follows the Fall
"What comes next?"
Lucian's voice broke the brief lull that had settled after Evander's words, his tone carrying both impatience and a quiet edge of challenge.
Evander did not answer immediately.
Instead, he rolled his eyes.
"Truly?" he said at last, his tone laced with dry disbelief. "You are meant to be one of the more perceptive men in this chamber, Lucian."
Lucian's expression darkened slightly.
"And yet," Evander continued, lifting his glass once more, though he did not drink, "you ask a question with an answer so painfully obvious it borders on insulting."
A faint scoff escaped him.
"What comes next," he said, "is her debut."
The room stilled.
"Princess Lyria," he added deliberately, "as a Moon candidate."
The words settled heavily.
No one interrupted.
No one dismissed it.
Because there was nothing to dismiss.
It was the truth.
And truths, once spoken plainly, had a way of demanding acknowledgment.
