Silence held the great chamber .
Around the long table of polished darkwood,Alpheo's close council stood in shock , mouths parted, eyes wide, unable to fully absorb what Alpheo had just said.
It was Shahab who finally shattered the silence, his voice rising like a blade drawn in haste.
"Allowing foreign merchants to buy our land? Have you lost your mind?"
Alpheo did not flinch. He met Shahab's anger with measured calm, hands folded before him, the golden seal-ring of the Crown glinting under the light of the tall windows.
"I have not," he replied smoothly. "I've weighed it, and I believe this is not a concession as you may think but simply an investment. If Yarzat is to grow, we must let go of outdated pride that serves no one but the past."
Jasmine, her silken robes rustling as she shifted forward in her seat, added her voice.
