The days following Vale's capture were marked by a fragile calm. Winter's Crown bustled with activity as relief caravans departed for the outlying villages, soldiers patrolled the streets, and merchants cautiously reopened their stalls. Yet, beneath the surface, the cracks in the kingdom's foundation remained, and Damien knew that peace was as precarious as a blade balanced on its edge.
In the royal court, tensions were growing. While the king and a handful of nobles supported Damien's reforms, others grumbled in quiet defiance. They masked their resistance behind polite smiles and flowery words, but Damien could feel their disdain lingering in the air like smoke.
He stood now in the council chamber, his steel-gray eyes sweeping the room as the nobles argued among themselves. The latest point of contention was the allocation of resources to rebuild the villages destroyed by the rebellion.
