The tension in the room was suffocating as Mariella and Alaric glared at each other, neither willing to back down. I stood between them, feeling like a piece of rope in a tug-of-war.
"Perhaps we should all take a moment," I suggested, my voice strained as I tried to defuse the situation.
Mariella crossed her arms, her eyes never leaving Alaric. "I'm merely expressing concern for my daughter's wellbeing. Is that so offensive, Your Grace?"
"Your concern comes twenty years too late," Alaric replied coldly. "And I find the timing rather convenient."
"You know nothing about me or my circumstances," she snapped.
"I know enough." Alaric's voice was razor-sharp. "I know you abandoned your daughter to a monster. I know you never once checked on her welfare while she suffered abuse at the hands of your replacement and her spawn."
Mariella flinched visibly. "You have no right—"
