CHAPTER 139
The chamber doors opened wide, and the steady drum of boots echoed against the marble floor. Grace stepped forward, her expression set, her hands pressed together behind her back. The atmosphere was colder than usual, as if the air itself anticipated the weight of her command.
The councillors had been summoned without warning. One by one they filed into the chamber, their robes brushing against the stone floor, their faces etched with unease. Whispers followed, but the silence grew heavier the moment Grace stood at the center of the hall.
"Sit," she said in her low, steady tone.
They obeyed, lining the benches that arched in a half-circle. The flickering lanterns along the walls stretched long shadows, giving the council chamber a darker cast than usual.
