Above All Authority
The silence after Leon's unfinished sentence was suffocating.
No one moved.
No one breathed too loudly.
Even the guards along the walls seemed frozen in place.
Rias stood in front of him, her crimson eyes locked onto his golden ones.
Waiting.
Not impatient.
Not playful.
For once—
Serious.
Leon looked at her for a long moment.
Then—
He turned.
Slowly.
His gaze swept across the entire throne hall.
Across Ronan.
Across Black.
Across Johny.
Across every woman who had just been given power… purpose… identity.
And then—
He spoke.
"Rias."
His voice was calm.
Steady.
Carrying the weight of something final.
"You will stand as Queen of this kingdom."
The words echoed.
Not loudly.
But deeply.
"Above all ministers."
"Above all authority."
"Second only to me."
A pause.
Then—
"You will oversee everything."
The throne hall didn't react immediately.
Because for a moment—
No one could.
Rias didn't move.
Not at first.
