"Now that I've removed him, can we please maintain some decorum in this meeting?" I asked, forcing my voice to stay level even though every muscle in my body felt tight with unease.
I kept my back straight on the throne, one hand still resting on the armrest while the other held the sceptre so firmly my fingers ached.
The hall felt too large and too cold despite the heat of the chandeliers overhead. Every noble in the room seemed to be watching every breath I took, and that attention made my skin prickle.
The male leads were the worst part of it all—Kairos, Darius, and Elowen were all sitting or standing with the same unbearable presence, each of them like a different kind of danger, and I could not help thinking that they were more terrifying than I was.
Why are they the ones who feel like the main characters here, and I'm the one trying not to flinch? I'm supposed to be a male lead too, aren't I?
