"I'm sorry, my King… but why?" Mia's voice trembled as it left her lips, breaking through the heavy silence that lingered in the audience chamber.
King Lucian stood before her, tall and calm, his silver eyes unblinking. The faint light from the stained glass windows behind him painted him in hues of moonlight and authority. He didn't look angry, but the weight of his presence alone was enough to silence the air between them.
"Mia," he said evenly, "you will stay."
Her breath hitched. "No, Your Majesty," she said quickly, shaking her head. "No, I can't. I have to go back—"
"You will stay," he repeated, his tone sharper this time, slicing through her protest like a blade.
Her eyes widened, disbelief flashing through them. "Your Majesty… am I to be held here? Against my will?"
Lucian didn't flinch. "Yes."
The word fell like thunder. Cold. Final.
"For the sake of my kingdom, it is necessary."
