The celebration reached a crescendo as the next part of the celebration began, but before the noble children could begin their trek to the high table, Soren stood. The movement was sharp, pulling the collective gaze of the room toward him like a magnet.
"Before the presentations begin," his voice boomed, rich and steady, "I have a gift of my own for my Empress."
He signaled to an attendant, who brought forward a heavy object draped in white silk. With a flourish that held a hint of a boyish grin, Soren unveiled it. The hall gasped. It was a lotus, carved not from stone or wood, but from the purest, most translucent glacier-ice.
It looked exactly like a bloom frozen in the heart of a winter pool, its petals so thin they appeared to vibrate with the light, and a faint, magical glow pulsed from its center like a captured heartbeat.
Eris leaned forward, her composure fracturing into genuine surprise. "You made this?"
"Ever," Soren murmured, his eyes locked on hers. "For you."
