"Why does he get to go play at the Coral Reef while I have to study statecraft in the study? Why do you smile and forgive him when he makes mistakes, while I get punished for the slightest misstep? Why…" His voice choked. "Why did you say at the beginning that I would be betrothed to the Holy Female, but in the end, he was the one who got Su Yaoyao?"
A dead silence fell over the council hall, broken only by the gentle sound of flowing water. The Sea Emperor stared in shock at her eldest son's red-rimmed eyes and contorted face, momentarily speechless.
Noah took a step forward, his voice low. "Brother, the Holy Female is not an object, not a prize to be fought over. It is her freedom to choose whomever she wishes."
"Shut up!" Norman spun on his younger brother, eyes blazing with jealousy. "It's easy for you to talk—you have everything! Our mother's and father's love, the Holy Female's favor, even the right to make more mistakes than I do!"
