The council chamber fell quiet once the doors closed. Around the long table, the kingdom's senior ministers sat in uneasy silence, each of them looking more concerned than the last.
At the head of the table sat Alderon. To his right, Yerel sat in an posture of effortless grace, his hands resting lightly over a stack of parchment. Behind Yerel's chair, Karson stood at rigid attention.
"We shall begin with the matter of the Solaric delegation," Lord Emrys, the Minister of State, announced, placing a roll of parchment on the table. "Princess Iryna has formally made her choice regarding the proposed union between our realms. She has chosen Lady Marielle of House Valtrane."
Silence fell over the chamber for three sharp seconds, thick and heavy.
"Marielle of Valtrane?" Lord Orvian repeated in a mix of disbelief and instant irritation. "On what grounds? Since when has a foreign royal princess shared such deep ties with a northern noble house?"
