Chapter 85: Echoes of Treason

Shisui spent the next day recovering. Irylia never left his side. Each time he stirred, she was there—reading, humming, gently healing him with her Arch techniques. Her presence soothed the bitter cold in his veins.

But peace would not linger.

That evening, a trusted informant arrived—eyes wild, breath short. "Lord Velmar is not acting alone. The betrayal runs deep."

The king's expression turned stone-hard.

A secret council was held in the war room. Shisui was brought in, still bandaged but stable. Irylia insisted on attending.

The informant laid it all bare: a faction within the royal court, composed of three high-ranking nobles, were conspiring to assassinate Irylia and blame it on a foreign power—derailing a peace treaty that threatened their military control.

Lord Velmar, the acting head of internal security, was the mastermind. The attempt in the garden was just the beginning. More attacks were planned.

The room grew tense.

"I will handle this," Shisui said.

The king turned to him. "You've given enough."

Shisui's expression was firm. "I won't stand by while they come for her again."

Irylia looked at him with shining eyes.

Queen Lysara nodded. "Very well. But not alone."

She summoned a new force—elite beastkin warriors, Lunar Valkyries, and a trusted shadow division.

Shisui stood, slow but steady. The ice within him answered.

The Frost Monarch would rise again.

"I'll bring the frost," he whispered, "and uncover every snake hiding in the dark."

As the council disbanded, Irylia stopped him at the exit.

"When this is over…" she whispered, cheeks flushed, "…stay."

Shisui looked into her moonlit eyes and smiled. "I will."