"Your Majesty, please do something!"
"As Elder, you should be responsible for this too, Queen Maelona!"
The two elders spoke with hurried and worried faces.
The news of the official engagement had spread like wildfire throughout the Empires. Their voices trembled slightly at what this announcement could mean for their empire's future.
Kaelen sighed inwardly as he glanced between Maelona and Aria, both of whom played their parts exactly as his father had ordered.
Their expressions were perfect masks of calm, but Kaelen could sense the tension coiling beneath their skin. He wasn't sure how long he was supposed to continue this charade. Every word he held back felt like a storm pressing behind his lips, and it was exhausting. His father had warned him earlier: Stay silent, let the elders speak, and let their worry dig its own grave.
