The isolation ended after a week. On the eighth day, Azrael ca to their chambers just after sunset, already dressed in formal court attire. He looked at Lyanna sitting near the window, with the sa book she’d been pretending to read for days.
"You’ll attend the monthly court assembly tonight. Nobles will present petitions, and grievances will be addressed. It’s tedious but necessary."
Lyanna put down the book slowly. After a week of complete isolation, the idea of facing the entire court filled her with both relief and terror.
"What do you need to do?"
"You’ll sit beside and remain silent unless I address you directly. You won’t speak to petitioners, and won’t offer opinions."
"Fine. I’ve gotten quite good at playing whatever role you require."
"Great. Clara will be here shortly to dress you. I’ve selected your gown."
She nodded, and he left without another word. Minutes later Clara arrived with an entourage of servants carrying the chosen gown and accessories.
Clara and the other servants started transforming Lyanna from the prisoner she’d been all week into a Thornfield queen.
When she was ready, guards ca to escort her to the Great Hall. Servants bowed as she passed. Nobles she didn’t recognize nodded respectfully. Word had already spread that she was making an appearance tonight, and everyone wanted to see her after her mysterious absence.
The doors to the Great Hall were open. The guards stopped at the door. She took a breath, lifted her chin, and stepped inside.
Hundreds of conversations were cut off mid-sentence as every vampire in the hall turned to stare at her. Azrael was already seated on his throne, watching her. She walked towards the thrones and sat on a throne beside him.
"Welco back, wife." He murmured, holding her hand. "Try not to embarrass tonight."
The petitions began. Lyanna watched him work with fascination. This was Azrael in his elent; not the cruel husband who tornted her in private, but the king who’d ruled successfully for four centuries. He was brilliant, his intelligence made him understand each case within seconds and made him make decisions that balanced justice with practical necessity.
A rchant vampire approached him, bowing before the throne.
"Your Majesty, I petition for protection along the eastern trade routes. Bandits have been attacking caravans. Three of my shipnts have been lost in the past month alone. I request royal guards to escort future transports."
"Protection granted, but with conditions. You’ll pay a tithe of five percent of the transported goods’ value to cover guard costs. And you’ll provide details of all shipnts. Accept these terms, or handle your own security."
"I accept, Your Majesty. Thank you for your protection."
"Dismissed."
A few more petitioners ca. Lyanna just sat there in silence as ordered, but she was noticing how he read people, how he used his power in strategic decision making.
One petitioner, a young vampire, who looked barely older than Lyanna herself, approached the throne with nervousness. His na was Theron, recently turned, bringing a complaint about his maker abandoning him without proper education in vampire customs.
But as he spoke, his eyes kept drifting to Lyanna. He looked at her with pity, like she was soone who was suffering and needed help.
Azrael noticed imdiately. His grip on Lyanna’s hand tightened.
"Does sothing about my queen interest you, Theron?"
The young vampire froze. The entire hall went silent.
"I...Your Majesty, I ant no..." Theron stamred.
"No, please." Azrael interrupted. "Share your thoughts with the court. What exactly about Queen Lyanna captured your attention? She is quite beautiful, I agree. But you were looking at her with concern and sympathy. I’m curious to know why."
Theron didn’t reply. He just kept staring at the floor. But Azrael wasn’t done.
"Let guess. You were pitying her, weren’t you? Wondering how terrible her life must be, probably imagining all sorts of cruelties I must be inflicting to keep her at my side."
Theron’s face had gone pale, and his body was trembling with fear.
"Let be clear to everyone present. My wife is exactly where she belongs, beside , ruling this court, serving as your queen. Any pity you feel is misplaced. Any speculation about our marriage is unwelco and inappropriate."
He stood up, pulling Lyanna up beside him.
"She is your queen." He continued. "She carries my na and my authority. Respect her as you would respect . Insult her, and you insult . Pity her, and you question my judgnt. Question my judgnt, and you face . Is that clear?"
The hall went absolutely silent.
"I asked if that was clear?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Perfectly clear."
"We understand."
"Excellent." Azrael sat again, pulling Lyanna down beside him. "Theron, your petition about your negligent maker is granted. You’ll be assigned to Lady Helena for proper education in our customs. Dismissed."
The young vampire imdiately fled from the hall.
The declaration should have felt protective. But Lyanna knew it was just his way of claiming her ownership. He wasn’t protecting her because he cared about her feelings. He was just protecting his property, his possession.
After the petitions ended and the court dispersed, several vampires approached them to pay their respects.
Lady Morgana was among the first.
"Your Majesty." She said, addressing Lyanna directly. "You handled yourself beautifully tonight. Silence is often more powerful than words, especially in situations where speaking might create more problems than it solves. You’re learning court politics admirably."
The complint was unexpected.
"Thank you, Lady Morgana. That’s generous of you to say."
"Not generous. Just honest." Morgana replied.
As Morgana departed, Lord Phillip approached, a vampire Lyanna vaguely recognized from previous court functions but had never directly interacted with.
He bowed to Azrael, then turned to Lyanna with a smile but it looked more like a sneer.
"Queen Lyanna, how delightful to see you gracing us with your presence again. We were beginning to wonder if you’d misplaced yourself sowhere."
She kept her expression neutral.
"You look well-trained this evening, sitting so beautifully, and silently. One might almost forget you were human, the way you’ve adapted to vampire court expectations. His Majesty has clearly invested significant effort in your education."
The word "trained" sounded like she was a dog who’d been taught tricks. Lyanna’s hands clenched in her lap, but before she could decide whether responding would be more or less damaging than silence, Azrael spoke up.
"Lord Phillip, you’re dismissed from court for the next month. If you return without having learned how to address your Queen, your dismissal will be permanent."
"Your Majesty, I ant no..."
"I don’t care what you ant. I care what you said. You have ten seconds to leave before I make the punishnt more severe."
Phillip fled with his dignity in tatters, and the remaining nobles who’d been approaching suddenly found reasons to be elsewhere. No one wanted to risk Azrael’s wrath after watching two vampires face consequences tonight.
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