"I am a male," Blazar said, her voice firm and clear.
Daisy gestured to two guards who had been waiting in the wings. They stepped forward with crisp precision, their faces showing no emotion as they approached the stage with measured steps.
"The Empire demands truth," Daisy declared, her voice rising to fill every corner of the auditorium like thunder rolling across the sky. "And truth we shall have."
The guards reached the stage, their boots echoing against the wooden platform with ominous thuds. Blazar took a step backward, her heel scraping against the floor, but there was nowhere to run.
Behind her lay the kings' thrones, ahead the hungry crowd, and on all sides the unblinking eyes of cameras broadcasting her humiliation to the world.
"There's been a mistake," Blazar said defensively, her hands trembling slightly at her sides.
