The great hall of Everhart glowed beneath chandeliers strung with enchanted crystal, their light scattering in gold and silver across marble floors. Nobles filled the chamber, dressed in silks and gemstones, their voices weaving into a tapestry of whispers. It was not a council day, yet the atmosphere hummed like a sacred ritual, all of it circling around one figure.
Kayla.
She moved among them with effortless grace. Every bow she received, every curtsy she returned, sent ripples of admiration through the gathering. Her rose-silver hair glimmered under the light, her smile carrying both gentleness and sorrow—as though she bore the weight of devotion too deep for mortals to understand.
"Look at her," one lord murmured. "She carries the blessing of the gods themselves."
"No mere woman shines like that," a lady whispered, clutching her pearls. "It is destiny… she is meant for the Dragon Warrior."
Andy sat rigid beside Nia, his stomach a knot of fire and shame. He remembered her illusion—the meadow, the laughter, the way she had nearly stolen his lips with promises of a past that never was. His hands curled into fists beneath the table. I almost kissed her. I almost betrayed Nia.
Beneath the table, Nia's fingers brushed his knuckles. The simple touch steadied him, but when he glanced at her, he saw the storm in her silver eyes. To the nobles, she was a statue of poise, but Andy knew better—she was calculating, resisting, fighting.
When the gathering began to thin, Nia did not rise. She leaned slightly forward, her lips moving almost imperceptibly. A faint glow shimmered over her fingertips. Andy felt the air shift, subtle and cold.
He leaned closer, whispering, "What are you doing?"
Her eyes narrowed. "Listening."
The noise of the hall sharpened in her ears as her spell took hold, unraveling conversations one by one.
"…such grace, it can only be divine…"
"…her aura, do you not feel it? Holy, radiant…"
"…not Lady Nia—Kayla is the true match."
Nia's jaw tightened, but she let the spell deepen. Threads of magic laced outward, brushing against Kayla. And then she felt it.
Her breath caught. Kayla's aura shimmered like sunlight wrapped in honey—sweet, cloying, warm enough to soothe every doubt. But beneath the sweetness was rot. Dark threads coiled within the light, twisting it into something that made Nia's stomach turn. Not holy. Not human. Not pure.
Nia pulled back from the spell, her chest tight. This is no devotion. This is corruption disguised as divinity.
Andy caught the shift in her expression. "Nia?"
She turned to him, her voice low. "She isn't what she pretends. Her aura is divine, but it's tainted. It bends minds, twists hearts. That's why the nobles adore her so blindly."
Andy stiffened, the shame in his chest burning hotter. "That illusion she used… it wasn't just lies, was it?"
"No," Nia said, her voice grim. "It was her power. She can weave memories, make you feel them as if they were real. She's dangerous, Andy. More dangerous than anyone here realizes."
Across the hall, Kayla laughed softly at something a duke had said. Nobles leaned toward her as if her voice alone drew them into orbit. Nia's nails dug into her palm.
"We can't confront her openly," she whispered. "Look at them—they already see her as divine. If we accuse her now, we'll look like jealous children. We need proof. And time."
Andy's jaw clenched. "Then tell me what to do."
"For now? Stay close to me. Don't give her another chance to isolate you."
He nodded firmly, reaching for her hand—not hidden this time, but openly, deliberately. Nobles glanced, whispers rippled, but Andy tightened his grip.
A baroness approached, her smile dripping with honey, her voice sharp beneath the sweetness. "Lady Nia, I must admit—your composure impresses me. Few could watch their beloved stand beside another woman blessed so clearly by the gods." Her eyes glittered with false pity. "Would it not be wiser… to step aside?"
The hall quieted. Eyes turned to Nia. Andy half-rose, fire in his veins, but Nia's hand pressed against his arm, stilling him. She stood gracefully, her gown trailing like silver flame, her voice cutting the silence.
"Wiser?" she said softly. "Perhaps. But wisdom is not what binds us. Trial does. Fire does. Blood does. Andy and I have bled together. We have faced storms that none of you would dare to endure. That is not something dismissed because another woman smiles sweetly."
Her words struck like steel. Murmurs rippled again, but this time divided. Some nodded, unsettled. Others frowned, clinging to Kayla's radiance.
Andy stared at her, pride swelling in his chest until it threatened to burst. He tightened his grip on her hand, raising it slightly as if to show the hall. A declaration.
The System's chime rang in his mind:
> [Bond Progression: 113% → 116%]
Trust stabilized. Political defense reinforced.
Across the chamber, Kayla's gaze slid to them. Her smile remained serene, but Andy felt it then—like frost brushing the back of his neck. Her eyes lingered on their joined hands, gleaming with something sharp beneath the crystal glow.
The air itself seemed to tighten, though she did nothing more than bow her head politely to a passing lord.
Nia held Andy's hand higher, her silver eyes locked onto Kayla's. For the briefest moment, the great hall felt less like a court and more like a battlefield.
And though the nobles whispered in confusion, the truth was clear to Andy: the war had begun.
The System stirred again, its tone darker this time, almost like a warning.
> [Alert] Threat Level Escalating.
Unidentified Divine Entity detected.
Caution: Bond interference imminent.
Andy exhaled slowly, his heart steady only because Nia's hand anchored his. Kayla smiled still, flawless and gentle, but the frost in her gaze promised this was only the beginning.
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