The eastern hall remained silent long after Kael revealed the message.
"The false heir belongs to the Crown Prince."
The words lingered heavily beneath the chandeliers while snow continued falling beyond the tall windows of the estate. Candlelight flickered against marble walls, throwing shadows across the room that seemed darker now, sharper somehow, as though the atmosphere itself had shifted.
Selene leaned back slowly in her chair, her crimson eyes fixed on Kael. Not because the message frightened her. But because it was clever.
The southern faction had just changed the game entirely.
Before, the attacks focused on the Moon Wolf awakening itself. Ancient bloodlines, hidden factions, and political instability. Dangerous enough already.
But now, they had attached Kael Draven to the narrative. Not openly or directly. Just enough to poison suspicion.
[A false heir belongs to the Crown Prince.]
One sentence capable of igniting noble paranoia across the empire.
