Chapter 93 Council Of Hearts

• The great hall buzzed with tension as the assembled lords and ladies took their seats around the massive oak table that had witnessed centuries of political maneuvering. I sat at the head, the Obsidian Crown heavy on my brow, while the skull relics around my neck caught the light from the chandeliers above.
• Seven marriage proposals lay spread before me, each one a carefully crafted political document that reduced love to a series of strategic advantages.
• "Your Majesty," Lord Harwick began, his voice carrying the formal tone of state business, "we have thoroughly reviewed each proposal and prepared detailed analyses of their political implications."