"You need not worry about Lady Aurelia's fate, Lord Flameborne."
The words struck the chamber like a sudden clap of thunder. Conversations halted, breath stilled. Dozens of eyes turned toward the one who had spoken.
Vaelric Stormborne had risen from his seat. Though young, his posture bore the same gravity as his father's, his shoulders squared as if he carried the weight of kingdoms. His blue-gray eyes, sharp as tempered steel, burned with resolve.
He stepped forward, his voice steady but edged with fire.
"Her life will not be mocked. Her name will not be cast aside. From this day forth, the future of Lady Aurelia Flameborne shall be safeguarded under my father....Valerian Stormborne, Lord of Virelia and Warden of Valkoron."
A ripple of shock spread through the hall like storm waves battering stone. Delegates twisted in their seats to watch Valerian, whose expression remained unreadable, cold as a carved glacier. But the silence that followed was thick with unspoken thunder.
