[Third Person].
The council chamber was already filled when the Oatrun cars arrived.
Meredith stepped out beside Draven, her posture upright and her chin held high. She kept her gaze straight ahead, but she could feel the weight of eyes follow her every move as they moved through the entrance.
The room grew quiet. The elders seated in a semi-circle looked up one after another. Some with curiosity. Some with open scepticism, while some with poorly hidden disdain.
And then, Meredith's gaze landed on Wanda.
Wanda Fellowes was seated behind her father, dressed elegantly, chin lifted, and her lips curved in a faint, knowing smile.
Meredith did not halt in her stride, but she noticed. Of course she did. So this was not merely a council meeting. It was a spectacle.
Reginald Fellowes leaned back in his seat, eyes narrowing slightly. "Well," he said dryly, "I did not know this was a family visit."
A few elders gave small, humourless chuckles, but Draven did not react.
