The words echoed throughout the entire hall, "I propose an engagement."
For a single, suspended moment, the world stopped. Every current in the vast ocean beyond the dome seemed to still.
Every noble, every warrior, every official in the Grand Hall froze as if time itself had been severed.
Then, a wave of raw, unfiltered shock hit everyone.
"…What?"
"…Did the King just—"
"…An engagement?"
"…To Princess Mera?"
Whispers erupted instantly, rippling through the gathered elites like a storm breaking across a calm sea. Even the most composed nobles couldn't fully mask their reactions.
This wasn't a reward. This wasn't even politics as usual. This was monumental.
The Princess of Atlantis, one of the most influential figures in the younger generation, the future Queen of Atlantis, offered in engagement to an outsider.
To a surface-born human.
