The Great Hall of the Glacial Crown was not built; it was dreamed into existence from the heart of an ancient glacier. The walls were translucent sheets of sapphire ice, lit from within by bioluminescent spirits that pulsed with a rhythmic, ghostly blue. Massive chandeliers made of dragon-bone and diamond hung from the ceiling, casting a sharp, cold light over the assembly of Northern nobility.
This was the center of the Northern Empire—a place where the air itself felt heavy with the weight of tradition, bloodlines, and a deep-seated arrogance.
At the center of the hall, on a raised dais, sat Vera.
