Chapter 62 --62
Elara raised one eyebrow. "Go on."
"We’re not saying you were wrong," he continued, knights nodding behind him. "But it wasn’t right either. We’re your guards. You don’t need to treat us like... people who need coddling. We’re swords. Wield us to protect or strike. We don’t break easy. Throw us away if needed. Knights are replaceable. Your safety isn’t. Even if we all died here, it wouldn’t equal one scratch on your finger."
Elara set the plumbing tools down with deliberate calm. Her eyes turned icy—cold enough that several knights visibly shivered, heads ducking.
"Enough."
The word landed like a blade. Silence swallowed the hall.
She scanned the group, noting the ones who wouldn’t meet her eyes. "You think I’m weak? Fragile? Need your expendable bodies as shields?"
Fox knight swallowed but held position.
"Maybe you’ve forgotten," she said, voice low and edged, "I’m one of the strongest mages alive. Behind my father and a few unknowns, sure. But strong. I let palace attackers walk because it was their territory—my sisters’ game. Killing there meant war I wasn’t ready for."
She stepped closer, presence sharpening. "This is *my* territory now. Anyone attacks me here? They don’t leave breathing. And if I kill without reason? No explanations owed. Palace rules don’t bind me anymore."
Knights shifted uncomfortably, but she wasn’t done.
"A sword you toss around, break, discard? That’s no sword. That’s a practice stick." Her gaze pinned fox knight. "Real swords get cared for. Oiled. Honed. Because they save your life. Neglect them, and you’re unworthy to wield one."
She straightened, surveying them all. "I’m not coddling you as ’humans.’ Basic decency is the baseline. Cleaning the house? Trivial for me. Last night I was tired—couldn’t overtax magic after the barriers. You think I’d wait for you to wake, then scrub while you watch? Three, four days of your ’efficient’ manual labor?"