Chapter 73: The Decoy and the Dagger
The Throne Room was quiet.
A deep, ringing silence had replaced the echoes of my spar with Chloe.
My new power settled in my bones, a low, thrumming hum that felt like a caged star in my chest.
A B-Rank in Body.
A C-Rank in Mana.
For the first time since this whole insane nightmare began, I felt like a king.
A broke, catastrophically indebted king who lived in a glorified basement with a goblin that had a personal vendetta against his own reflection, but a king nonetheless.
"My Lord," Isabelle’s voice was a blade of calm, cutting through my smug self-satisfaction.
She stood with her arms crossed, her expression one of cool, professional analysis.
"You are magnificent. But she is a mage. A queen of magic. She will not let you get that close."
She was right.