The sun was setting, when I felt it.
A shift in the air.
A familiar, overwhelming presence.
A second later, the marketplace fell into absolute silence.
Every person in the square suddenly stopped moving.
Then, as if controlled by a single mind, they all dropped to their knees, pressing their foreheads against the ground.
Even Riven who had spent the past hour casually talking to me like I wasn't royalty felt the change.
His body tensed immediately.
His sharp blue eyes darted around, scanning the now-frozen crowd.
"…What the hell just happened?" he muttered.
I didn't answer.
Because I already knew.
They were here.
I turned my head just in time to see my mothers step into the square.
And gods.
They didn't even need an army to make an entrance.
Verania strode forward like a walking inferno, her long crimson coat billowing behind her, her golden eyes glowing with dangerous intensity.
Sylvithra moved with slow, deliberate elegance, her violet gaze cold as winter, her silver robes shimmering like woven moonlight.
Power radiated off them in waves.
Their expressions?
Deadly.
I barely had a second to process their presence before Verania's eyes locked onto Riven.
And just like that, the entire atmosphere plunged into killing intent.
Riven's body went rigid.
A predator's gaze had fallen upon him.
And Verania?
She reacted instantly.
One moment, Verania was standing beside Sylvithra.
The next, she was a blur of movement.
Fire ignited in her palm, spreading like molten gold, shaping itself into a deadly blade.
"WHO DARES STAND BESIDE MY DAUGHTER?!" she roared.
Oh, for gods' sake.
Riven had half a second to react before Verania's sword was mere inches from his throat.
He dodged on pure instinct, stumbling backward with wide eyes.
"What the hell?!" he snapped.
I immediately stepped in front of him, raising my hands.
"Mother, STOP!"
Verania halted mid-strike.
Not because she wanted to.
But because I was in the way.
Sylvithra, still standing at a distance, simply tilted her head.
"Who is this?" she asked coolly.
Verania's rage didn't diminish in the slightest.
"An insect standing too close to Elyzara," she snarled. "I will remove him."
Riven stared at her.
Then at me.
Then back at her.
His voice was flat with disbelief.
"…Is your mom trying to kill me right now?"
I sighed. "Yes. Yes, she is."
Riven groaned. "Great. Fantastic."
Meanwhile, Verania wasn't done.
She turned to Sylvithra. "Why is no one else alarmed by this? Someone has dared to get this close to our daughter."
Sylvithra's expression remained calm.
But I could see it.
The way her fingers twitched slightly.
The way her violet gaze flickered with quiet menace.
She was two seconds away from freezing Riven where he stood.
Okay.
This was getting out of hand.
I turned around quickly, grabbing Riven's wrist.
"Don't move," I whispered.
He blinked at me. "Why?"
"Because if you run, they'll take it as an act of aggression."
Riven slowly turned his gaze back to my mothers.
Then, very flatly:
"They already look like they want me dead."
I grimaced.
Yeah. He wasn't wrong.
I took a deep breath, then turned to face my mothers directly.
"Mother. Mother."
They both stared at me.
"He's my friend."
Silence.
The words hung in the air.
A heavy, oppressive, unbelievable silence.
Verania blinked once.
Then twice.
"WHAT."
Oh, no.
"NO." she growled. "NO, HE IS NOT."
I stood my ground.
"Yes. He is."
Sylvithra, who had been quiet until now, finally spoke again.
"A friend?" she murmured.
There was a very specific tone in her voice.
One I had learned to fear.
It was calm.
Too calm.
She stepped closer, her violet gaze piercing into Riven like a dagger.
"Why," she asked, "do you believe yourself worthy of my daughter's companionship?"
Riven, to his credit, didn't flinch.
But I saw it.
The way his fists clenched.
The way his jaw tightened.
He was stubborn.
Proud.
And the fact that he was being questioned like this made his temper flare.
"…I don't," he said.
The entire crowd inhaled sharply.
"But that doesn't matter, does it?"
I blinked.
Oh?
Verania's golden eyes burned.
"Explain yourself," she commanded.
Riven met her gaze head-on.
"I don't care about power," he said. "Or nobility. Or rules."
His blue eyes flickered toward me.
"She wanted to be my friend. So that's what we are."
And just like that, my mothers stalled.
Because for the first time in their lives, they had encountered something they weren't prepared for.
Something they couldn't intimidate.
Because Riven wasn't playing their game.
He wasn't trying to prove himself.
He was just existing.
And that , that was what shook them.
I took advantage of their hesitation and went in for the finishing move.
"Mother. Mother."
They both snapped to attention immediately.
I gave them my best, sweetest, most innocent smile.
And then, in the softest voice possible, I said:
"Can we bring him home with us?"
Silence.
Verania stared at me.
Sylvithra stared at me.
The entire world held its breath.
Verania exploded.
"WHAT?!"
Sylvithra merely blinked. "Pardon?"
I clasped my hands together. "I want him to live in the palace."
"NO." Verania roared.
"Why not?" I asked sweetly.
Verania gaped at me.
"Because—because—"
She turned to Sylvithra, motioning wildly. "Tell her no!"
Sylvithra simply observed me for a long, long moment.
Then, very smoothly, she said:
"Why do you wish this?"
I smiled. "Because he's my first friend."
Sylvithra considered this.
Verania looked betrayed.
I sensed victory.
And, behind me, Riven muttered:
"…What the hell did I just get myself into?"