Zane and Puck exchanged glances, silently communicating their confusion and concern. They had no idea where Thorin was steering this conversation or what he hoped to achieve by provoking the king.
"Excuse me?" King Valentin's face tensed up. His surprise and growing anger were unfiltered. Clearly, he had not heard about this before.
Thorin leaned forward, resting his chin on his palm with zero care in the world. "Oh, my apologies. You didn't know? Princess Lisbeth tampered with the results of the Trials."
"That's preposterous! How dare you spout baseless accusations against royal blood? My Lord, I know you're fearless, but you're in the land of vampires, and we can finish you off in a flash," a council member fumed.
"Oh, yeah? Kill me, and the alliance goes down the drain. I mean, if you can," Thorin taunted with a rebellious glint in his eye.
King Valentin shot the council member a look, and he quickly took his seat, obedient and subdued.
