Lyra's POV
His agreement caught me completely off guard.
The surprise struck deep in my chest like a physical blow. I kept my face neutral despite the shock rippling through me, forcing my expression to remain calm as if I had orchestrated this entire moment. As if his voice cutting across the chamber with those simple words of support had been exactly what I'd planned from the beginning.
It hadn't been.
This was pure chance. A desperate roll of the dice that I expected to land flat and meaningless. I thought the council would brush me aside. I thought the Azure of the Valley representatives would remain silent or worse, actively oppose me. I thought Daphne's relatives—I couldn't think of them as my family anymore—would twist my words until they meant nothing at all.
But he had spoken up.
The boy from the meadows. The one whose green eyes had been studying me with an intensity that made my skin feel exposed.
