ERIS
Soren's eyes flashed with ice-cold fury, the temperature in the room dropping so sharply I saw my breath mist in the air.
"Absolutely not." His voice came out flat, deadly. "She's recovering from saving this entire city. The physicians ordered complete rest."
Aldric shifted uncomfortably, clearly caught between his emperor and the Regent Empress. "I told her that, Your Majesty. She insisted. Said if Lady Eris is too weak to appear before the council, perhaps she's too weak to be empress."
The trap snapped shut with audible clarity.
I understood it immediately, saw Vetra's strategy laid out like pieces on a game board. If I didn't come, I looked weak, unfit, unable to handle the responsibilities of an empress. If I did come... exhausted, vulnerable, barely able to stand... I became a perfect target for her pointed questions and carefully constructed accusations.
Either way, Vetra won.
Unless we turned it around.
"I'll go."
