(Eri's POV)
For a moment, the entire chamber was silent.
Then—
Sato's voice rose sharply.
"That is impossible!"
The calm atmosphere of the council room disappeared.
Her eyes were fixed on me now.
"You cannot seriously mean that," she said, her voice colder.
"The marriage was meant to fulfill the Blood Oath properly."
Her gaze moved briefly toward Haru.
"Prince Haru is the one who should take that responsibility."
Of course.
That was their plan from the beginning.
They expected me to step down.
They expected me to quietly surrender the throne in the name of a sacred promise.
But I had no intention of doing that.
I sat calmly in my chair.
"If someone needs to adjust," I said slowly, "it will not be me."
My voice was steady.
"I am the future ruler of Kazunaga."
My gaze moved across the council table.
"All of you will serve under my rule one day."
"No one here has the authority to remove me."
"Not even a promise made in the past."
The words landed heavily inside the chamber.
Some ministers looked uneasy.
Others remained completely still.
But I continued speaking.
"You say the problem is the Blood Oath."
"It is not a problem."
"The law of Kazunaga allows the ruler to marry whoever they choose, as long as the marriage strengthens the kingdom."
I looked directly at the ministers.
"There is no law that says the ruler must marry the opposite sex."
That made several council members shift uncomfortably.
But I was not finished.
"And if your concern is heirs…"
I gave a small shrug.
"That is not the issue here."
"This marriage is about the Blood Oath."
"Not about producing children."
My eyes moved toward the High Priest.
"The oath says nothing about offspring ruling the throne."
"Is that correct?"
The High Priest did not answer immediately.
Which was answer enough.
I leaned back slightly.
"As for religion…"
I paused for a moment.
"Yes, I know relations between two women are forbidden."
Several ministers nodded quickly at that.
But I continued calmly.
"But are we lovers?"
The room went quiet again.
"Princess Elara and I are strangers."
"We are simply two people bound by a political promise made long ago."
"A marriage to fulfill an oath."
Nothing more.
My fingers rested lightly on the table.
"So tell me."
My voice was calm again.
"Is there still a problem?"
No one answered.
The ministers looked at one another.
Even Sato remained silent now.
The High Priest lowered his gaze.
The Vesperian diplomat said nothing.
For the first time since the meeting began—
the entire council had no response.
I slowly looked around the room.
Then I asked the final question.
"So…"
I said quietly.
"Are we finished with this debate?"
No one answered my question.
The chamber remained silent.
I did not wait for anyone to speak again.
There was nothing more to say.
I stood from my chair, the sound of the wood scraping lightly against the floor.
Without another word, I turned and walked out of the Chamber Hall.
Behind me, the council remained frozen.
But I already knew this was not the end.
People like Sato would never stop after one debate.
They would find other ways.
Other arguments.
Other plans.
To remove me.
That was how the palace worked.
So instead of staying inside those walls, I went somewhere else.
The place I always returned to.
The Forbidden Forest.
Most people avoided that place.
They said it was dangerous.
Bandits.
Wild beasts.
Stories meant to scare travelers away.
But to me, the forest felt quieter than the palace.
More honest.
The path there was familiar now.
For almost two years, I had walked those woods many times.
The trees slowly thickened as I moved deeper inside.
Until the sound of water reached my ears.
The waterfall.
I stepped into the clearing near the lake.
Moonlight reflected on the surface of the water like a mirror.
Fireflies drifted between the trees.
The sound of the falls filled the quiet night.
For the first time that day, I felt my breathing slow.
Without hesitation, I stepped into the lake.
The cold water soaked my clothes.
But I did not care.
I let the water cover most of my body and stood there quietly.
Listening.
The sound of the waterfall.
The insects in the trees.
The night air moving through the forest.
Little by little, the tension from the palace faded.
The arguments.
The politics.
The plans against me.
For a moment, none of it mattered.
I closed my eyes and let the water run over my arms.
But then—
something felt wrong.
A strange feeling moved through the quiet air.
My eyes opened slowly.
The forest had not changed.
The waterfall still roared behind me.
The lake was still calm.
But my instincts told me something.
I was not alone.
Someone else was there.
Watching.