"When trust is broken, even silence feels like a threat."
The council chamber was a battlefield without swords. The betrayal had turned it into something sharp-edged and venomous, the air thick with unspoken accusations. No one looked directly at Asher or me, but I could feel their thoughts pressing against me like unseen hands.
Edric’s confession had cracked the foundation of Verauno’s court, sending shockwaves through the nobles, advisors, and commanders. If someone as trusted as him had turned against us, how many more had done the same?
I stood at the far end of the table, arms crossed, watching as Lord Idris paced. His boots scuffed against the marble floor with each deliberate step. “We need to act now,” he said, voice clipped. “A trial. Public execution. Show the people that trai
