The Empress descended the last step and approached Lucas with a grace so fluid it almost seed unnatural, her veil catching the light in such a way that her presence beca even more striking. Lucas, though curious and on guard, dipped his head in a respectful bow, his voice steady as he spoke.
"Your Majesty," he said simply, letting the silence linger afterward.
The hall was so quiet one could hear the faint sound of the braziers crackling, each fla dancing nervously as though it too felt the weight of her aura.
The Empress did not respond imdiately. Instead, she walked around him, each movent gentle, her gown whispering across the polished marble floor. She circled slowly, her eyes studying every inch of him from head to toe. The nobles leaned forward slightly in their seats, whispering in restrained tones.
"What is she doing?" one muttered, his voice hushed but filled with excitent.
"She is examining him like one would a beast," another replied, a smirk tugging at her lips.
"He is finished. She is simply deciding how to deal with him."
Behind Lucas, the girls were visibly uneasy. Nyx chewed at her lower lip and muttered under her breath. "Why is she circling him like that? This is not how she treated anyone else."
Selene’s eyes narrowed, though she tried to maintain her composure. "It is not good."
Lucas, however, did not flinch. His chest rose and fell evenly, his expression calm. Inside, though, he was puzzled. What was she looking for? Why was she examining him like prey? He thought of her cultivation, far beyond what his current strength could even begin to match. If she wished, she could crush him without effort. Yet her aura, though oppressive, did not strike at him. It wrapped around him, testing him, asuring him, almost as if she were weighing his very existence.
When she ca back around and stood once more before him, the entire chamber held its breath. Everyone’s eyes fixed on her, waiting for judgnt.
"She will condemn him," whispered one of the envoys from a neighboring kingdom, barely able to contain his satisfaction.
"He dared to insult the Counselor and boast before Her Majesty. She will not forgive him," another agreed.
Prince Khan leaned forward, his smile cold and triumphant, certain that the end was near.
But then the Empress lifted her gaze, her voice breaking the silence like a blade cutting through still water.
"You are dangerous."
The words fell upon the chamber with the weight of thunder, echoing against the stone walls. A ripple of shock spread across the room. Faces twisted in confusion, disbelief, even fear.
"What did she say?" gasped one noble, unable to believe his ears.
"She called him dangerous?" another muttered, eyes wide.
"Does she... approve?" soone whispered in horror.
The Counselor’s face darkened, his jaw tightening as he struggled to contain his frustration. This was not what he had expected. Prince Khan stiffened in his seat, his earlier smugness fading into suspicion, his lips pressing into a thin line as though trying to calculate the aning behind her words.
Lucas lifted his eyes at last, locking briefly with the faint outline of hers behind the veil. Dangerous, she had called him. He had been insulted, laughed at, rejected, but not once had he expected her to say that.
Then she added, her voice steady, cold yet laced with sothing unfathomable, "I like danger."
The hall erupted into chaos.
"What?"
"She likes it?"
"This cannot be..."
The nobles muttered and exchanged bewildered glances, while the other envoys shifted in their seats, whispering furiously. The Counselor’s frown deepened, his hands curling into fists. Prince Khan looked almost as if he had swallowed sothing bitter, his disbelief painted clear on his face.
Behind Lucas, the girls’ eyes widened. Nyx let out a tiny gasp, covering her mouth with her hand. Selene leaned forward, her voice a re whisper, "Did she just..."
"Yes," Lira said quickly, almost unable to breathe. "She said she likes him."
Lucas, for his part, did not move. He rely stood there, absorbing the weight of her words, trying to understand what she truly ant. Did she see him as a toy? A threat? Or perhaps sothing more useful?
The empress turned away from Lucas, her robes flowing with every step as she ascended the stairs back toward her throne. Yet when she reached it, she did not sit. Instead, she paused, her back straight, her aura radiating across the chamber like an invisible weight pressing on everyone present.
Her gaze swept across the hall, silencing even the smallest whisper. Then, in a calm but commanding voice, she spoke.
"Xavier Alden," she said, her words carrying easily to every corner of the room. "You will return tomorrow. You will stand before , and you will present clearly what you have to offer Lechia. We shall speak then of this so-called alliance in private."
The counselor’s eyes widened. "Your Majesty...." he began, clearly intending to object, but one glance from the empress froze the words in his throat. He bowed quickly, retreating into silence, though his face betrayed his disapproval.
The hall erupted in hushed murmurs, nobles and officials exchanging looks of disbelief. For the empress herself to grant a private audience to a foreign envoy...worse still, a youth....was unheard of. So shook their heads in disbelief, while others stared at Lucas as if trying to see what she had seen in him.
Prince Khan clenched his jaw, his earlier smug satisfaction replaced with irritation. He leaned toward one of his attendants and muttered, "She gives this boy more honor than seasoned generals. It is an insult to the throne."
Yet the empress paid no mind to the rippling waves of astonishnt and resentnt that her words had unleashed. She looked only at Lucas, her eyes steady, unreadable, her expression still carrying that faint trace of intrigue.
The young won who had watched in dread now stared with wide eyes. "He must be special," one whispered under her breath. "For Her Majesty to do this... she must have seen sothing no one else can."
Another nodded, whispering back, "Perhaps he truly does carry sothing great. Otherwise, why would the empress grant him such an honor?"
Lucas remained composed, though inwardly he felt the shift of the room pressing down on him. He bowed again, his voice steady as he replied, "As you command, Your Majesty."
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