Page 171 of A Reign of Chromes & Shadows

He scowled, unsettled, thrown off balance.

He looked around the room, at the councillors, at the generals, at the empty space where Snow had stood moments earlier and saw no support. No loyalty. No fear strong enough to override what they had just witnessed.

He was cornered.

After a long, tense pause, he exhaled sharply.

“Alright,” he said, voice tight. “A good king knows when to back down. My heir and his sister have decided to overthrow my authority on this, so we shall follow their heed.”

He forced a brittle smile.

“Thank you, council men—”

He corrected himself quickly.

“—and women. Your voices have been taken into consideration. Our meeting is adjourned.”

The moment the words left his mouth, the council members surged to their feet, eager to escape the suffocating tension. They slipped past Rain in hurried clusters, whispering anxiously, grateful to be dismissed.

Azrien lingered.

“And Rain,” he said quietly, “I accept your proposal. It is the only reason I am relenting on this. I am choosing to trust that this is part of a much larger, well-thought-out plan. Do not disappoint me further.”

Rain couldn’t help the faint smile tugging at his lips.

Even now, Azrien clung to the illusion of control.

Rain nodded once, then turned to leave.

Relief washed over him, despite the chaos, despite everything threatening to unravel, he had achieved what he came for. The South Region would be freed. Aid would be sent. The war would shift.

But as he stepped into the corridor, reality settled heavily on his shoulders.

Snow.

Her storm.

Her fury.

Her words.

Her pain.

She had openly declared her opposition to their father; something Azrien had not yet fully processed. But he would. And when he did…

Rain’s stomach twisted.

He hurried through the palace, heart pounding, until he reached Snow’s bedroom door. He hesitated, hand hovering over the wood. He could feel her devastation through the barrier, it cut through him like a sword.

He rested his forehead against the door, palms flat against the panel, breathing through the ache.

He couldn’t leave her alone in this.

Even if she needed to scream at him.

Even if she needed to break.

She could use him as a punching bag.