Chapter 522 - CHAPTER 522 — The Empty Crown

At the stroke of midnight, the great doors of the Regina Grand Council Chamber closed with a heavy sound that seemed to travel through the ancient stone foundations of the palace, and every person gathered beneath the vaulted ceiling understood that the meeting would not end with the ordinary exchange of accusations that had defined the previous days. The chamber had been built for kings and Alphas, its walls carrying generations of portraits whose painted eyes seemed to follow every decision made beneath them, yet tonight the enormous throne positioned above the council dais stood empty. Alessandro De Luca remained several paces away from it, without the Alpha crest that had once rested against his chest, while Elara Romano stood beside him with her hands clasped before her, feeling an uneasy pressure beneath her ribs that had begun soon after the crimson symbol appeared beneath Regina.