Maeve’s POV
The announcer’s voice crackled over the speakers, calling Leo and Elizabeth to the stage. Elizabeth glided up the steps, her head held high despite the horrific purple smear covering the front of her gown. Kael’s highest-ranking warriors and their wives immediately clapped, trying to create an illusion of grandeur, but the rest of the auditorium remained entirely uncomfortable.
Instead of sitting at the grand piano or taking up her own instrument, Elizabeth marched directly to the center of the stage and pulled the microphone from its stand. She adjusted her grip, her expression morphing instantly into that familiar, tragic mask of a suffering martyr.
"Thank you, everyone," Elizabeth said, her voice amplified and trembling with faux emotion. She paused, letting a heavy tear
