Chapter 156: The Strategy
The night was finally silent, with only a few faint flickers of torchlights breaking the stillness as the council convened in the palace’s meeting room.
The atmosphere was grim, weighed down by a somber and oppressive quiet. The council members’ faces were weary and drawn, etched with the remnants of fatigue. There had been no time for rest or healing after the war, and the toll it had taken on them was evident in every strained expression.
No one dared to speak yet, the king’s absence only adding to their growing unease.
At last, the heavy doors to the meeting room swung open with a resounding creak. Rhaegar strode in, his normally unkempt curls pulled back into a loose high ponytail, secured with a black silk ribbon embroidered with gold.
The dark shadows beneath his sharp amber eyes betrayed his own exhaustion, suggesting that he, too, had not rested, likely spending every moment preparing for this critical meeting. Naveen followed close behind him as Rhaegar made his way to the long, polished table in the center of the room.
Taking his seat at the head of the table, Rhaegar let his piercing gaze sweep across the room, the intensity in his burning eyes silencing even the faintest whispers of discomfort.
"Once the aftermath is settled," he began, his deep voice cutting through the tense stillness, "people will start seeking revenge. Despite all the careful preparations we have made, our tactics must be drastically altered."
The leader of the bear tribe rose abruptly, his imposing frame towering over the table as he fixed his sharp brown eyes on Rhaegar’s calm, expressionless face.
"We have been expecting retaliation ever since we discovered the desecration of the royal tombs," he said in a low, demanding voice. "But who would have thought your own Gypsy tribe would be involved?"
"The tribe itself was not involved," Rhaegar corrected firmly, gesturing for the bear tribe leader to resume his seat. Though his expression remained defiant, the leader grudgingly obeyed, crossing his arms in front of his chest in a display of silent resistance.
"Daro was a rotten apple and has been dealt with," Rhaegar continued, his voice steady despite the heavy implications of his words. "I do not know how long he had been colluding with the queen without us noticing, but it no longer matters. The pressing issue now is determining Althea’s next move and... retrieving our queen."