Sable and Silvia left without extending the conversation.
Silvia maintained her posture until the end. She left with her head held high, controlled steps, and the expression of someone who had already understood that insisting would be a waste of time. She had not liked Victor's answer, that much was obvious, but she quickly accepted that there was no competing with Eleonora in that room. Not like that. Victor was not evaluating prestige, structure, or political advantage. He was choosing based on his own stubbornness, his own criteria, and the absence of any desire to deal with someone he did not know.
Sable, on the other hand, left much more rigid.
Her face remained cold, but Victor noticed the clenched jaw and the way her fingers closed at her sides before she crossed the door. His rejection had not merely been a refusal. It had been a direct accusation. And worse, in front of two other regents.
When the door closed behind the two of them, the silence became lighter.
