The chamber seemed to tighten with those words.
Alice felt the eyes of every vassal and servant turn to her again, but this time with a different kind of weight. Suspicion lingered in the air, subtle but sharp, as if her father's single question had given them all permission to doubt her.
Her heartbeat quickened, but her face betrayed nothing.
He knows. Of course he knows. No word or gesture escapes him.
She folded her hands neatly on the table, letting the moment stretch just enough before answering, her tone as measured as her breathing.
"My intentions are exactly as I said, Father. To stand as a Draken means to stand for the North. If my name demands I lead, then I will lead—not through indulgence, but by example."
The Duke studied her in silence, his gaze so piercing that it almost felt as though he were stripping away every layer of her composure to see what lay beneath.
