The council chamber was like a battlefield. The talk about crowning Seren during the planning had become a wildfire, causing rifts.
The question of Seren's coronation had split the council into factions more sharply than the charter ever had. On one side, the conservatives, their white ribbons long discarded but their hearts still clinging to the old ways. On the other, the progressives, emboldened by years of victories. In the middle, the moderates, trying to hold the centre together.
Lord Halden, who had returned from his walkout with his face still red and his voice still loud, pounded the table. "She is not of royal blood. She cannot hold the title. Queen is not a reward for good behaviour. It is a birthright. It passes through veins, not through votes."
