Duke Konstantin's expression had shifted from calculation to something closer to genuine interest. This was not the argument of a bewitched man. This was strategy. Vision. The kind of long-term thinking that built empires rather than simply maintaining them.
Soren's attention shifted to address the matter of Lady Bianca, and here his voice took on an edge that made even his supporters shift slightly in their seats.
"You speak of Lady Bianca Virelya as though a binding agreement existed between us. As though contracts were signed and vows were exchanged."
He paused, letting that implication settle.
"But she was suggested, not chosen. Proposed, not confirmed. No formal betrothal was made. No contracts were signed. No public declaration was ever issued. She remained a possibility, not a certainty. And even if all of those things had occurred..."
His voice dropped, became colder, more absolute.
