Chapter 40

The air in the council chamber was thick with tension, an unspoken challenge woven into the silence that followed Tharx's summons. The grand hall, lined with towering obsidian pillars and banners bearing the sigil of the empire, was filled with his most powerful advisors, warriors, and political figures. Their faces were carefully composed, but their rigid postures betrayed their unease.

Seated at the head of the massive stone table, Tharx surveyed the room with an expression of cool indifference, despite the exhaustion that weighed on his body. The wounds from the battle with Draxis's forces had yet to fully heal, and though he concealed his discomfort well, the pain was a constant, dull ache beneath his armor. It did not matter. He had fought through worse.

To his right, General Veylan stood with his usual quiet confidence, his sharp gaze flicking over the assembled nobles, waiting for the inevitable backlash. To his left, sitting where no human had ever sat before, was Aeliana.

Dressed in deep crimson, the formal robes draped over her frame were a stark contrast to the prisoner's garb she had once worn. The fabric was heavier, the fit tailored to her form, and though she sat straight-backed and poised, her fingers curled slightly against the armrest of her chair. She could feel the eyes of the council burning into her, their collective judgment pressing down on her shoulders like a physical weight.

Tharx had yet to speak, yet the tension in the chamber was already a roiling force. Finally, he exhaled slowly, steeling himself for what was to come.

"I have made my decision," he said.

The murmurs began immediately. He let them fester for a moment, allowing them to prepare themselves for the storm that was about to follow.

"Aeliana will no longer be confined to the status of a prisoner. From this day forward, she is to be recognized as an official member of my court."

The reaction was instant and violent.

A sharp clang rang through the chamber as a warrior slammed his fist against the table. The murmurs became shouts, words of protest overlapping in an angry cacophony. Aeliana flinched at the sheer force of it, but Tharx remained impassive, his golden gaze sweeping over the room as the uproar grew.

"This is madness!" Lord Kadrin, one of the highest-ranking military officials, rose to his feet, his scarred face twisted in a scowl. "A human in your court? What purpose does this serve?"

Another noble, Lady Veraxia, let out a soft chuckle, though there was no amusement in her eyes. "What possible justification do you have for elevating her, my king? What has she done to deserve such an honor?"

Aeliana kept her face carefully neutral, though her heart pounded against her ribs.

A third advisor, an elder statesman, frowned deeply. "Is she to hold rank? Authority? What precedence is there for this?"

The warriors in the room, particularly those of Tharx's personal guard, remained stone-faced, but their silence was telling. The warrior class would not take this lightly.

Kadrin stepped forward, his voice laced with barely restrained anger. "The warrior class will not stand for this. She is a weakness-a symbol of your hesitation, of your growing sentimentality."

Tharx remained still, though the flicker of golden light in his eyes sharpened.

"The warrior class stands for strength," he said, his voice a blade cutting through the noise. "I see none among them who had the resolve to endure what she has."

The silence that followed was thick, charged with unspoken fury.

Kadrin's mouth pressed into a thin line. "She is not one of us. She does not belong here."

"Then she will learn."

The finality in Tharx's tone left no room for argument.

Sensing that outright rejection would get them nowhere, some of the politically inclined nobles shifted tactics. Rather than opposing the decision outright, they sought to maneuver around it, offering alternatives that would subtly strip Aeliana of any real power.

"If you insist on keeping her in the court, my king," Veraxia said smoothly, "perhaps we could formalize her place through a strategic arrangement. There are several noble houses that would benefit from such a union. If she were married into a lesser family, her presence might be tolerated."

Aeliana stiffened, disgust twisting in her gut.

Another noble inclined his head. "Or perhaps she could serve a ceremonial role-one without true influence. A figurehead to appease whatever strange attachment you have to her, while the real matters of governance remain in capable hands."

Tharx's grip on the edge of the table tightened slightly. The arrogance of them.

An elder advisor, one who had served the empire for decades, leaned forward. "My king, surely you understand the implications of this. This empire has followed tradition for generations. Elevating an outsider-especially a human-will divide your people. Already, there are whispers that you are distracted. That you have become vulnerable."

A muscle in Tharx's jaw ticked.

He turned to General Veylan, who had remained silent, watching the exchange with an air of detached amusement. When Tharx met his gaze, the general simply gave a slight nod. His support, though unspoken, was clear.

That was enough.

Tharx stood.

The chamber fell silent, the sheer weight of his presence suffocating the room.

"I did not summon this council to ask permission," he said.

The words settled like stone.

He let the silence stretch before continuing, his voice colder than ice.

"She is under my protection. She holds my favor. That is all you need to understand."

One by one, the nobles who had spoken against her averted their gazes. Kadrin's expression was thunderous, but even he bowed his head slightly in reluctant submission.

It was done.

Aeliana sat frozen, feeling the full weight of what had just transpired. Tharx had claimed her. Not as a queen, not as a lover-but as something undeniable. As his.

And yet, his protection had painted a target on her back.

She could feel the hostility emanating from the warrior class, the thinly veiled contempt from the nobility. This was not safety. This was not freedom.

This was a battlefield.

Tharx turned to her, his expression unreadable. "You will need to be careful."

Aeliana met his gaze, her voice soft but steady. "I always am."

For a moment, something flickered in his eyes-something dark and conflicted, something neither of them were ready to name.

She wasn't sure what she had just won.

But she knew, without a doubt, what it had cost.