The tension crackles.
[Oh, this is going to be fun.]
For a brief, beautiful moment, silence reigns. The three heirs Zareth, Seraphina, and myself stand there like pieces on a game board, waiting for someone to make the first move.
And then, as expected, the parents ruin everything.
"I must say," the Celestial Empress begins, adjusting the sleeves of her pristine robes, "Seraphina is truly a remarkable child. She has mastered three divine spells before the age of five, an accomplishment unheard of in the history of the Sky Dominion." She tilts her head slightly, her smile edged with superiority. "Her teachers call her a prodigy of celestial magic."
Seraphina, to her credit, remains impassive, though I catch the slight flicker of satisfaction in her silver eyes.
