Maria's mind raced so quickly it felt as if her thoughts were tearing over one another.
If this escalated even a fraction further, it would no longer be a clash of tempers. It would become political catastrophy.. The imperial capital was already strained by rifts and monsters. The last thing it needed was a public confrontation between the empire's saintess, its princess, and an unknown but clearly powerful foreign figure.
Sofia, meanwhile, did not retreat from what she had said.
She stood with her chin slightly raised, blue hair stirring in the charged air, eyes locked on the girl floating above.
"You heard me," she repeated flatly.
There was no laughter no teasing. Just clear and straight intentions.
The atmosphere thickened again, pressure pressing down from multiple directions at once.
Above them, the platinum aura surrounding the floating girl brightened, sharpening along its edges like a blade catching light.
