The envoy leader's expression transformed in an instant—the pleasant mask shattering to reveal something cold and furious beneath.
"How DARE you raise your voice in the presence of an Imperial Envoy!" His melodic tone was gone, replaced by genuine rage that filled the throne room like a physical force. "Is this the respect Ryugan shows the Empire? Is this how you respond to the Emperor's GRACE?"
The soldiers behind him moved as one—hands snapping to weapons, blades singing as they were drawn halfway from sheaths. The sound of metal scraping against metal filled the hall, a promise of violence barely restrained.
The envoy leader pointed at Rieran, his hand trembling with theatrical fury.
