Every soul in the grand hall froze at her sudden, chilling request.
The suffocating silence hung heavily in the air, lasting only a breathless moment before Empress Laurette slammed her hands onto the imperial table with vicious force. The silverware rattled against the wood, echoing her explosive fury. She knew the pathetic state her son was in; with his mangled hand and shattered psyche, it was utterly impossible for Lucian to defeat Evangeline in a fair match. To allow this duel was to hand her son's pride over to be slaughtered.
"Do you truly dare to demand a duel with your own brother for the sake of a lowly creature?!" Laurette hissed, her fingers curling into tight claws as she turned her desperate, raging eyes toward her husband. "Your Imperial Majesty, look at the utter nonsense this lunatic is speaking of! She insults the crown!"
