Allegiance __link__ | Peta Pledges Her Cleavage

A titter ran through the crowd. Lord Valerius, the Master of Whispers, choked on his wine. The Sovereign’s eyebrow arched, a flicker of genuine amusement crossing their angular face.

“Precisely,” Peta said, stepping closer. She was not flaunting; she was offering. “You have generals for your armies, spymasters for your shadows, and accountants for your gold. But who guards the heart’s antechamber? Who holds the loyalty that cannot be bought, but must be felt ?” peta pledges her cleavage allegiance

Then the Sovereign laughed—a real, unguarded laugh that startled the court more than the pledge itself. “Rise, Peta. Your allegiance is… accepted.” A titter ran through the crowd

“And what do you want in return for this… thoracic devotion?” the Sovereign asked. “Precisely,” Peta said, stepping closer

The Sovereign leaned forward. The court fell silent. This was either the rise of a genius or the fall of a fool.

The air in the Grand Foyer of the Diamond Sovereign’s palace was thick with the scent of jasmine and ambition. Ladies in waiting, duchesses, and foreign dignitaries lined the crimson carpet, their eyes fixed on the throne where the Sovereign lounged, bored, picking at a plate of candied figs.