Chapter 35

• We entered a grand hall resembling the circular chamber of a parliamentary stage. Audience seats rose steeply around us, encircling a central lodge that commanded attention. The chamber hosted about a hundred occupants, every seat filled. The majority of the audience wore black togas, while those seated in the lodge stood out in deep, bloody-red robes. There were five of them, their attire signaling their status as judges, an elite faction presiding over the court. The rest were likely court representatives, their black togas giving them a unified, ominous presence.
• From the moment I stepped inside, one figure demanded my attention. Seated prominently in the lodge's central chair was a striking woman with blonde, almost white hair and eyes like shards of ice. Her beauty was as chilling as her stare, which pinned me in place the instant our eyes met. Her gaze, unyielding and intense, sent an involuntary shiver down my spine. And yet, beneath her formidable presence, I detected no outright hostility. Instead, her expression held a peculiar curiosity, as though she were dissecting my very essence. Then, unexpectedly, she smirked. The gesture was subtle, yet it left me breathless and awkward. I averted my eyes quickly, seeking refuge in Hadrian’s steady presence.
• Hadrian, however, was glaring at the female judge, his jaw tight. Without a word, he took my hand and guided me toward a table on the courtroom’s right side. As we moved, I became acutely aware of the hostile energy emanating from the left side of the room. The sensation was sharp, like invisible knives pressing into the back of my neck. Instinctively, I turned to face the source and found a group of seven vampires seated at a table opposite ours. Their expressions dripped with contempt, their disdain for me unmistakable. I could almost imagine them rising from their seats and spitting in my direction to make their feelings known.