Silence lingered for a moment longer.
Empress Lysandra Astrielle Valtoria leaned back slightly against the throne, her fingers tapping once against the armrest.
The sound echoed faintly through the hall.
"Ainsworth," she said, calling his name directly for the first time. "Do you know where you are standing?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"And do you understand what it means to declare yourself as the lover of a Valtoria Crown Princess?"
"I do."
Her gaze sharpened, though her expression remained calm. "Then answer me this. What is it that you intend to give my daughter?"
The question was simple.
Yet it carried weight far heavier than status or courtesy.
Ainsworth did not answer immediately.
Elyndra felt his grip tighten slightly around her hand.
"I will stand with her," he said. "In the throne succession trial. In the Otherworld Missions. And in every consequence that follows."
"That is vague," Lysandra replied.
"It is deliberate."
