Chapter 102 Political Suicide

• Sargis
• I sat with my back straight as a rod, my eyes fixed intently forward, and my jaw clenched so tightly that I thought something might crack under the strain. The tension in my body was palpable, my muscles coiled like springs ready to unleash at a moment's notice as I watched my mother drift through the ballroom like a silken storm.
• As she glided effortlessly across the floor, scanning the maidens with piercing scrutiny, She swept past shoulders, tracing the contours of backs, pausing on lips painted with crimson smiles, and meeting the calm gaze of poised eyes. She offered nods of approval and barely-there smiles of interest. But none of it was random. She was calculating everything. Measuring who would represent the kingdom best. Who would elevate the bloodline. Who was worthy of the crown beside mine.