Callian didn't raise his voice.
That was the first thing I noticed.
No dramatic pause, no grand entrance, no "everyone look at me" moment. He just… leaned forward slightly, fingers resting on the table like he had all the time in the world.
And somehow that was worse.
Way worse.
Because the room reacted anyway.
Fiona stopped moving.
Her advisers went quiet.
Even Kael...who usually looked like he'd pick a fight with a wall if it stared at him wrong...didn't say a word.
And me?
I straightened without meaning to.
Why am I sitting up.
Why am I acting like I'm in class.
I hate this.
"I believe," Callian started, calm, steady, like he wasn't about to dismantle someone's entire authority in the next five minutes, "your discussions have established a working foundation for trade."
He didn't look at Keiji.
Didn't look at Cazash.
His eyes stayed on Fiona.
Locked.
Unmoving.
"And now," he continued, "we speak of governance."
There it is.
