Lyra's brows furrowed.
"Exile gave us time to see if he would reestablish contact with our enemies," Darius explained. "If he still held value to them, we'd know. And if he didn't… well, then we would know he'd been discarded."
A wave of nausea rolled through Lyra as the implications sank in. Her father hadn't just been punished—he'd been turned into bait.
"I know it's difficult to hear, Luna," Darius added, his voice softer now. "But in a kingdom ruled by power and war, mercy is a rare luxury."
Lyra looked away, her thoughts tangled. Her father's betrayal. The public shame. The way she'd been marked by his actions ever since. And now she learned that even his punishment had been part of a larger game.
A trap.
"How long do you think he'll be spared?" Lyra asked, her fingers tightening around the edges of her notebook.
Darius didn't hesitate. "As long as he remains useful," he said calmly, his words sharp as blades wrapped in velvet.
