The words hit Yeara like a slap to the face. She simply stared at the woman, silence enveloping the hall. The calm quiet that usually filled the room shifted, heavy and tense. Her fork trembled slightly in her hand, but she steadied it just in time before it could fall.
Carefully, she kept her emotions in check, lifting the glass of water to her lips and sipping slowly, the cool liquid sliding down her throat before she set it down with a soft clink against the table.
Lady Stephanie studied her intently, searching her face for any flicker of reaction, but the queen remained calm—something she had never witnessed in other queens when faced with such news.
"I had no idea there was a tradition such as this, Lady Stephanie. Please, do me the honour of explaining what you mean," Yeara said, a small, composed smile gracing her lips. She lifted a perfectly cut mushroom elegantly to her mouth, chewing with measured grace as she waited for the woman to speak.
