SAGE
I had expected a bigger crowd.
A full house, loud and heavy with whispers, envy, and curiosity—the perfect theatre for drama. But as I stepped through the soft golden veil of the canopy, what I saw instead made me pause.
Just the royals. Nobles. Elders.
And Darius. Sitting directly after Daniel on the long high table.
What in the goddess's cursed name was this?
My irritation was a steady, pulsing thing, simmering beneath the calm mask I wore.
My eyes moved through the gathered faces, cataloguing them—too polished, too quiet, too expectant. This wasn't a celebration. It was a controlled setting. A test. A stage prepared not for honor, but for observation. I didn't like it one bit.
When my gaze landed on Adam, I saw him standing—his tall frame a mix of composure and contained restlessness. His brothers followed his lead, chairs scraping as they rose in tandem. Then the rest of the evil family.
