"Your Majesty," he said, voice steady but laced with something unspoken. Pride? Awe? "Isabella asked that I inform you… the well has been completed."
Silence.
Not the kind that settled. The kind that hit like a dropped stone.
Every man in that room went still.
Even the bored Zara blinked and turned her head, finally paying attention.
Kian sat straighter, but only slightly. Just enough to be noticed by those who were looking for it.
He hadn't expected her to defy reason so boldly.
Even in that fragile state—body weakened, breath still uneven—she had walked away.
No permission. No explanation.
Just like that.
Kian's jaw ticked, but his expression remained unreadable.
Foolish woman.
He didn't understand her. Not even a little.
The Peacock tribe noble's brows lifted in faint surprise, his chin tilting in amusement. "Already?" he murmured, almost to himself.
He remembered when he and his people arrived from the city.
