Inside Pearl Manor, fury erupted the moment she left.
Elder Faelan slammed his fist onto a table. "Our pride has been trampled! We need to kill that bitch no matter what… How dare..."
Others joined, voices rising in heated protest.
Dorian Pearl's patience snapped.
"Silence!"
His roar reverberated across the hall, carrying the weight of decades.
"You call yourselves elders?" he demanded, eyes blazing. "After witnessing Elder Ronan's death, you still sought confrontation? Money can be earned again. Lives cannot."
He gestured toward the fallen.
"Had we fought, half this hall would be corpses. Who then would rule Ashenford? Who would protect our holdings?"
An elder muttered bitterly, "But she humiliated us."
Dorian's gaze hardened. "He also offended House Dawn."
The implication hung heavy.
"Duchy of Dawn does not tolerate destabilization within its jurisdiction. By extorting us, he has drawn attention to himself."
A calculated silence followed.
