"Who said I am not here?"
The voice rang through the chamber like a bell. Every head snapped upward, startled, as eyes widened in disbelief. There, seated atop the grand throne itself, was Aqualina... her poise regal, her gaze haughty, as if she had always belonged in that seat of power.
None of them had seen her arrive; none could say when or how she had appeared.
Aqualina rose from the throne, her footsteps echoing on marble with the authority of someone who had nothing left to fear.
She descended,
"You all come running the moment you finally notice my beloved's true worth. Pathetic!!"
Step.
"You dare to call him Archpriest, dare to claim loyalty, and then you turn your back on him in his darkest hour? Cowards—all of you!"
Step.
"You have the audacity to weave your words, to toy with his heart, thinking you can win him back with shallow speeches?"
Step.
"You force guilt upon him—shackling his soul with blame and regret?"
Step.
