Chapter 72: Reginald's Concern

Lord Reginald's words hung in the air, met with a brief silence that felt deliberate, as if the masked ruler was considering each element of the statement with care. 

"Questions," the ruler mused softly, leaning back slightly in his chair. "In time, Lord Reginald, answers come to those who ask the right ones. But answers are not always given freely. Valoria's rise, as you call it, was not sudden—it was inevitable. We are not bound by the limitations of old alliances or outdated maps. We grow because we must. We act because we can."

Reginald held the ruler's gaze, despite the mask obscuring any real sense of emotion. He sensed the challenge behind those words, a subtle declaration of independence that carried with it an implicit warning.