"Control is an illusion. All it takes is one moment to shatter it."
The courtyard was alive with tension, the kind that hummed under the surface, sharp and electric. Soldiers stood in rigid formation, their eyes fixed on the gates. The air smelled of iron and damp earth, a storm threatening to break overhead. And in the center of it all, Darius stood with a smug smile, flanked by his supporters.
“You’ve overstepped,” Asher said, his voice low and dangerous. He stood beside me, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. His presence was steady, grounding, but the tension in his posture betrayed his anger.
Darius tilted his head, his expression infuriatingly calm. “I disagree, Your Majesty. I’ve merely been... advocating for the northern provinces. They deserve to have their voices heard,
