The king didn’t shout.
He didn’t even raise his voice.
He just looked at us. The smile that curved his mouth wasn’t wide — it didn’t need to be. It was small, knowing, the kind of smile that said he had been waiting a very long time for this exact moment to happen. He had set a trap, and Varion and I had walked into it, eyes wide open.
But where was Kael?
Was he a part of this?
“Well,” The king murmured, his voice low and almost lazy.
“What an interesting surprise.”
The air seemed to shatter around us. Varion moved first, instinctively stepping in front of me, shielding me with his own body. I could feel the tension in him, every muscle coiled like a bowstring about to snap. His breathing came fast, shallow — not from fear, but from rage.
“Your Majesty,” he said, his tone sharp
