Chapter 8 - The Dragon’s Vengeance
Lady Vesper froze, the cruel smile instantly vanishing from her face as she looked up into the terrifying, vertical pupils of the ancient beast. The heat rolling off the dragon’s scales scorched the edges of her expensive silk robes, filling the hallway with the smell of singed fabric.
"You speak of curses," a voice echoed from the end of the corridor.
Vaelen stepped out of the darkness, his face completely devoid of mercy. He walked slowly toward Vesper, his copper eyes burning with an unearthly fire.
"For nine hundred years, your family has whispered in the ears of emperors, manipulating laws, poisoning heirs, and bleeding the outer provinces dry while pretending to serve the crown," Vaelen said softly, stopping just inches from the trembling noblewoman. "You thought you were the true masters of this empire. You thought my dragon and I were merely weapons for you to point at your enemies."
"My liege—" Vesper choked out, dropping heavily to her knees as her composure completely shattered. "I—I only spoke out of loyalty to the ancient traditions—"
"Loyalty?" Vaelen laughed, a cold, humorless sound. "You know nothing of loyalty. And you know nothing of the Covenant."
He glanced sideways at Aeva. She stood tall, her hand resting on her dagger, the golden mark on her chest pulsing in perfect rhythm with the dragon’s heartbeat. She felt no pity for Vesper—only a profound, hollow exhaustion for the endless cycle of malice that these aristocrat parasites called politics.
"Take her to the pit," Vaelen commanded.
"No," Aeva said.
Vaelen paused, turning his copper gaze toward her in surprise. "Aeva?"
"Not the pit," Aeva said, stepping forward until she stood beside the emperor. She looked down at the trembling noblewoman. "Throwing her in a hole won't teach the high council anything. They think they can hide behind their titles, their history, and their whispers in the dark."
Aeva knelt down until she was eye-level with Vesper. "Tomorrow morning, at dawn, you will stand before the entire Senate and the representatives of every province. You will read aloud every ledger of stolen grain, every fabricated tax, and every name of the families your house has ruined. You will confess to treason in the full light of day."
"And if I refuse?" Vesper spat, a final shred of defiance breaking through her terror.
Aeva smiled—a cold, sharp expression that bore a chilling resemblance to the emperor's. "Then I’ll let the dragon decide."
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By sunrise, the Hall of White Pillars was packed to capacity once more. But this time, there was no whispering among the nobles. Every single aristocrat stood in absolute, petrified silence as Lady Vesper, pale and shivering, stood at the center of the mosaic floor and read aloud the confession that stripped her house of every title, land, and asset.
The high council was officially dismantled. In its place, Aeva established the Council of the Provinces—bringing common farmers, merchants, and regional leaders directly into the halls of power for the first time in imperial history.
