Chapter 100: Alliance
The council chamber smelled of old parchment and polished wood, the kind of scent that clung to history.
Michael sat at one end of the long table, shoulders back, but his gaze tilted away from the crowd of congratulatory chatter. He wasn't used to this kind of attention the looks, the whispers.
"The commoner won a council seat?"
"No, not just a seat… the Disciplinary Committee."
The voices echoed in his head, but he didn't flinch.
Emily Lionheart sat at the opposite end, posture as regal as if she'd been carved from marble.
She met each curious stare with the calm of a lioness watching over her pride. And beside her, Alice Nightveil remained silent, her pale features as sharp as the rumors whispered about her.
Vice Principal Sophia Emberheart, ever the overseer, had concluded the formalities, but when she left, the room seemed lighter—yet more dangerous. The newly elected were alone, no longer candidates, but leaders.