In the grand hall of the palace, four kings sat around a round table, silence weighing down the air,
…while their strained gazes betrayed the intense anxiety gnawing at their hearts.
The flames of the torches flickered dimly against the cold stone walls, but they failed to melt the freezing harshness etched onto their faces.
The heavy silence was suddenly cut by the voice of the King of the Wind, sharp as a physical blade: — "Will you remain silent? Silence will not bring us a solution!"
He then turned sharply toward the King of Nairon, his voice dropping, heavy with dark accusation: — "How did you not know her true identity when she lived directly under your roof? Where did she come from? What is the true nature of her power?"
His words instantly opened the floodgates to a storm of hostile questions. The other allied kings pounced with their interrogations: — "Were you covering for her this whole time?!" — "Or were you protecting her because she is your son's secret beloved?!"
The King of Nairon slammed his heavy fist onto the wooden table and shouted in pure anger: — "Silence! I will explain everything now."
His voice trembled slightly as he forced himself to go on: — "She is nothing more than the daughter of a simple farmer, born in the palace on the exact same day as my own daughter. I raised her as if she were a part of my own family. She never showed a single spark of power before. She is not my son's lover, but his childhood friend. Had I seen an ounce of danger in her, I would never have kept her in my palace for a single day!"
A tense, suffocating silence spread through the hall, as if his desperate words had momentarily smothered the rising flames of suspicion.
But the King of the Wind did not relent. He pressed further, his eyes narrowing: — "Then how did she effortlessly subdue the four legendary dragons? And how did she raise that noble blue dragon since its childhood without a single act of rebellion?"
The King of Nairon lowered his head, answering weakly, his defense crumbling: — "I don't know… I have no explanation. All I know is that Dalirina is kind-hearted, and she cannot possibly be a threat to us."
But words of mercy found absolutely no place in that room. The hall erupted with chaotic cries of objection: — "There is no room for mercy in the face of ruin!" — "Such immense power cannot be left free to roam the continent!" — "The Kingdom of Shadows will fight to claim her, just as they did in the bloody wars of the past!"
The air itself trembled in the grand hall, raw fear etched onto every royal face. The meeting ended with a crushing, inescapable verdict:
Tomorrow at dawn, Dalirina will be executed before the eyes of the entire kingdom.
… ... ...
The King of Nairon left the grand hall with incredibly heavy steps, his face deathly pale, his heart in absolute turmoil.
His eyes concealed a terror far greater than any royal decree. His silence itself felt like a devastating new betrayal of his own soul.
… ... ...
Down in the palace dungeon, Dalirina still sat utterly stunned by what she had heard.
Meanwhile, a faint spark of relief lit Fairo's sharp features, for he alone realized his father was secretly planning to help them escape.