His demand echoed through the chamber, raw and pained.
But Morgana did not answer.
Not at first.
She rose slowly from her throne, then began walking toward her husband. Each step was deliberate, unhurried, and deafening in the silence that filled the room.
When she finally spoke, her words were quiet.
"I would use the dogkin as bait, no matter the cost."
Alexios's breath hitched.
"Felicity made her choice. She wants to be with them. She left of her own accord. Why should I debase myself to fight for a daughter who has already abandoned her family?"
The king's face contorted right before his voice broke. "She's a child! A teenager, Morgana! Rash decisions, foolish choices, that is what youth is! She didn't abandon us, she only strayed! And you… You would cast her aside as if she were nothing?!"
Morgana's steps did not cease.
