The Queen’s Answer

The court held its breath.

Nobles, advisors, guards—all of them—watched her, waiting for her response.

Seraphine could feel their eyes, feel the weight of Kaelith's hand around hers, his warmth sinking into her skin like a brand.

She could rip her hand away.

Could lash out, turn his bold declaration into a spectacle that would shake the court to its core.

But that would mean losing.

And Seraphine did not lose.

So instead, she took a slow, deliberate step toward Kaelith, closing the space between them.

His eyes darkened in understanding a second before she spoke.

"Then let it be known," she said, her voice carrying through the hall like steel wrapped in silk.

Kaelith's grip tightened ever so slightly.

"I am no fragile consort, no pawn to be claimed." She lifted her chin, letting the court see her strength, her power. "I stand beside the prince as his equal."

A ripple of shock passed through the crowd.

Kaelith let out a slow breath—whether in amusement or admiration, she couldn't tell.

Seraphine tilted her head, her voice lowering to a more intimate tone. "If you are mine, Kaelith, then I am yours."

It wasn't submission.

It was a challenge.

And from the way Kaelith's smirk deepened, the way he looked at her like she was the only thing that mattered in this room, she knew she had just changed everything.

For him.

For herself.

For all of them.

To be continued…

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