Once inside the King’s office, the atmosphere shifted immediately. The walls, lined with shelves of ancient books and relics of past battles, seemed to close in around them, adding to the weight of the moment. A heavy wooden desk sat in the center, and a large map of the kingdom was pinned to the far wall. The only source of warmth came from the fireplace in the corner, casting flickering shadows across the room.
Henry and Livia stood side by side, feeling slightly out of place. Henry, despite his respect for the King, never felt entirely at ease in these walls of power. He was a soldier, a survivor, not a politician, not a strategist. Livia, on the other hand, was nervous for entirely different reasons. She was standing in front of a man whose authority reached far beyond her comprehensi
