Sitting on the throne, Ragan lazily rested the right side of his face on his hand.
Standing beside him was Prime Minister Roswell, his trusted confidant.
Below the steps leading to the throne, the princes—Aldric, Cedric, Adalen, Zarak, Cassian, and Nolan—stood in neat, evenly spaced rows.
To their right stood the princesses—Seira, Novaria, and even... Eliza.
All of them wore solemn expressions as they gazed at Ragan, whose face looked grim.
Only Nolan remained calm and relaxed, as if the heavy tension in the room had nothing to do with him.
Ragan took a deep breath before finally speaking.
"Do any of you know why I called you here?"
His sharp gaze swept across them, as if trying to catch the slightest change in their expressions.
But no one answered. Their silence suggested either ignorance or a choice to hide what they knew.
After all, even if someone did know, it wasn't something they could reveal openly.
