Valessara moved quickly.
That was the first thing Aerin learned the next morning.
He woke to shouting in the corridor, the sound of boots striking stone, and Merrowin bursting through his doors with parchment clutched in both hands and the rare expression of genuine alarm on her face.
"They've convened an emergency council," she said. "Without you."
Aerin sat bolt upright in bed. "They what?"
Mira, already awake and calmly braiding her hair, didn't look surprised. "She's forcing a legitimacy challenge."
Elira popped up from the floor where she'd been sleeping cross-legged like a guard dog.
"Is this a fight?" she asked eagerly.
"No," Aerin said quickly. "No fights."
Elira frowned. "Then why does my chest feel like it wants to scream?"
Mira met Elira's eyes gently. "Because this is dangerous in a different way."
Elira nodded slowly. "Political danger."
"Yes."
"…Can I still wear boots?"
Aerin sighed. "Yes."
The council chamber was packed.
Too packed.
Nobles filled the benches. Foreign envoys crowded the walls. Whispers buzzed like angry insects. Guards stood tense, hands hovering near weapons they prayed they wouldn't need.
Valessara stood at the center.
Not seated.
Standing.
Commanding the space.
Cassian was there too — positioned deliberately behind her, like a symbol rather than a man. His expression was unreadable, jaw tight, eyes flicking toward the door as if counting seconds.
When Aerin entered with Mira and Elira, the room shifted.
Some people bowed.
Others didn't.
Valessara turned, her smile sharp and victorious.
"Ah," she said smoothly. "The King arrives."
Elira whispered loudly, "She sounds pleased. I dislike that."
Mira murmured, "Stay with me."
Elira nodded. "I am stable."
Aerin took his place at the head of the chamber.
"What is this?" he asked calmly.
Valessara gestured to the council. "A discussion."
"That excluded me."
She smiled. "Efficiency."
A murmur rippled through the room.
Merrowin stood. "Queen Valessara has called into question the stability of Aqura's leadership."
Aerin blinked once. "My leadership."
Valessara inclined her head. "Your household, specifically."
Elira straightened.
"You mean me," she said cheerfully.
Several nobles flinched.
Valessara continued smoothly, "An assassin queen. An unconventional marriage structure. A court ruled by sentiment rather than strength."
Elira leaned toward Mira. "She is insulting us."
Mira whispered back, "Yes."
"Do I respond?"
"No."
Elira nodded. "I will respond internally."
Valessara turned toward the assembly. "I propose a formal review."
Aerin's eyes narrowed. "Of what?"
"Of your capacity to rule."
The chamber went silent.
Elira's breath hitched.
Mira's posture remained calm — but her hand closed slowly around the edge of the table.
Cassian's head snapped up.
"That's enough," Aerin said quietly.
Valessara laughed. "Is it? Or are you afraid?"
Elira's hands trembled.
She closed them into fists.
She did not move.
Aerin stood.
"Say what you're really saying."
Valessara's eyes gleamed.
"I am saying," she said clearly, "that Aqura cannot be led by a man whose household is a liability."
Every eye drifted to Elira.
Elira smiled.
Very carefully.
"I am not a liability," she said. "I am learning."
Valessara arched a brow. "Learning implies deficiency."
Elira inhaled sharply.
Mira placed a hand on her arm.
Elira whispered, "I can handle this."
Mira studied her for a moment… then nodded.
Elira stepped forward.
The room tensed.
"I was an assassin," Elira said openly. "Yes. I killed. I survived. I was shaped by violence."
Valessara smiled smugly.
"But," Elira continued, voice steady, "I chose something else."
A murmur rippled.
"I chose restraint," Elira said. "I chose to stop. I chose to love."
Her hands shook — but she kept them open.
"I am dangerous," she admitted. "But danger does not make someone unworthy."
Valessara scoffed. "Spoken like a child."
Elira met her gaze.
"Spoken like someone who learned the cost."
The room went quiet.
Aerin felt something swell in his chest.
Pride.
Valessara recovered quickly.
"Touching," she said. "But irrelevant."
She turned to the council.
"I move that the King's authority be temporarily limited until stability is restored."
Gasps erupted.
Cassian stepped forward suddenly.
"No."
The room froze.
Valessara turned slowly.
Cassian moved to Aerin's side.
"I will not support this," he said, voice firm. "Nor will the guards loyal to me."
Valessara's eyes widened — just a fraction.
"You forget who elevated you," she hissed.
Cassian met her gaze.
"I remember who I serve."
Aerin swallowed.
Mira exhaled.
Elira stared at Cassian with something like awe.
Valessara's control snapped.
"Very well," she said coldly. "If words fail—"
She gestured.
The doors slammed open.
Armed retainers in Thryndel colors poured in.
Chaos exploded.
Guards shouted. Nobles screamed. Some dove for cover.
Elira moved instinctively.
Then stopped.
She raised her hands.
"I WILL NOT STAB," she shouted desperately.
Aerin turned to her. "Elira—"
She was breathing hard.
"They want me to," she said. "They want me to prove them right."
Mira's voice was calm, anchoring. "You don't have to."
Elira closed her eyes.
Valessara's voice cut through the chaos. "Arrest them."
The retainers advanced.
Aerin stepped forward.
"STOP."
His voice rang through the chamber like iron striking stone.
The guards hesitated.
Aerin didn't shout.
Didn't threaten.
"This is my palace," he said. "My council. My law."
He looked at the Thryndel soldiers.
"You are trespassing."
Cassian raised his sword.
So did the Aquran guards.
The balance tipped.
Valessara's gamble failed.
She stared around her, fury blazing.
"This isn't over," she spat.
Aerin met her gaze.
"No," he said. "It isn't."
The Thryndel retainers were escorted out.
The council dissolved in stunned silence.
Valessara stood rigid, defeated — for now.
Elira's knees buckled.
Aerin caught her.
"You didn't," he whispered.
She laughed weakly. "I wanted to."
"But you didn't."
She smiled through tears. "I chose words."
Mira knelt beside them, calm but proud.
"You did exactly what she feared," Mira said. "You changed."
Elira hugged Aerin fiercely.
"I am still dangerous," she murmured. "Just… selective."
Aerin laughed softly. "I'll take it."
From the shadows of the chamber, Valessara watched them.
Her smile returned.
Slow.
Predatory.
Because she had learned something vital.
Elira could be restrained.
And that meant she could be pushed.
The Harem Alarm chimed — sharp, warning.
The real war had just begun.