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Chapter 99 - SPEECH

Chapter 98: Speech

It was Maria again who pulled it all together.

She leaned forward, her eyes steady. "What about this…?"

Her voice was quiet, but the room hushed anyway.

"I am not here to rule you. I am not here to command. I am here to stand beside you, to shield you when no one else will. Not as a noble, not as a warrior but as a student, like you."

The silence after was different this time. Heavy. Resonant.

Michael looked at her, stunned. "…That's it."

Leon whistled low. "Damn, Maria."

Aurelia smirked knowingly. "Well, looks like someone found his speechwriter."

Maria's cheeks colored again, and she looked away quickly. "…It's not perfect. It's just a start."

But Michael smiled faintly, a rare softness on his face. "It's more than a start."

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They stayed like that until late into the night, drafting and redrafting, arguing over commas, teasing each other over word choice, and occasionally pausing just to laugh at how ridiculous the process was.

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