Chapter 186: What She Understood
Lyria's POV
I blinked.
I had not been expecting that.
For a moment, I simply stood, the parchment still in my hands, while the weight of what Duke Valenridge had just asked settled over the hall like something substantial.
He wanted me to explain.
The Queen turned toward the Duke with a smile that did not reach her eyes.
"That was not," she said pleasantly, "part of the established rules, Your Grace."
Duke Valenridge inclined his head.
"With respect," he said, "the task set before the suitor candidates was to compose something that resonated with the Moon candidates." He paused. "Both Moon candidates, Your Majesty. Not one."
The Queen said nothing.
He continued, unhurried.
"I cannot know whether my poem has achieved that purpose unless I hear from both of them."
There was a short pause, and then he continued.
