"What about your son, King Valen?" Celeste's voice cut through the silence, sharp and deliberate. All eyes turned to her, then to Zephyros.
Valen hesitated, his gaze flicking to Zephyros before he spoke. "Zephyros doesn't have the… flare," he said, his words slow and measured, as if he were choosing them carefully. The statement struck Zephyros like a blow, a heavy chord resonating deep within him.
Zephyros stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the stone floor. The room fell silent, every eye turning to him. His chest heaved, his hands trembling at his sides. I don't have much of a grudge against Dalit, he thought, his mind racing. He's just annoying. He didn't kill Iris. He didn't do anything to me. But if I let this go, nothing will change. Change only happens through revolution. And this… this is revolution.
He turned to Celeste, his voice low but carrying. "Do any of you think Iris's death was unjust?"
Silence. The room seemed to hold its breath.