Chapter 527

The council chamber held a quiet tension, the kind that settled in when no one dared speak first.

Evander let the silence stretch for a beat, his gaze moving slowly across the gathered officials.

"Even if we look at it from another angle," he said at last, voice measured, "when the delegation met with Kaldor, Dorian stepped forward and took the injury meant for Gideon. Had Gideon been present at c