The noble elder shifted slightly.

"Then those assets must be declared, assessed, and distributed under council oversight."

"Distributed?" Atheline repeated softly as though tasting the words.

The noble elder met his gaze without flinching.

"For the stability of the kingdom. We are bound to attract even more attention from the demonic continent since they have a severe shortage of moon crystals."

A quiet huff escaped him.

"Of course."

Lilith took back the crystals, supporting her head on her hand as she stared down at them, with barely concealed amusement.

The sound cut cleaner than the raised voices.

"Let us not pretend, " she calmly said," that this is about stability. "

Her gaze swept across all ten of them.

"You heard the islands collapsed, " she continued, " you heard we walked away from it... and you are now wondering exactly how much we took before it sank."

No one interrupted because they all knew denying it would be pointless.

The noble elder exhaled softly.

"The council has a duty..."

"To ensure its benefits," she continued for him.

He didn’t correct her, there was no need to.

Atheline shifted moving almost subconsciously a step towards her trying to shield her, but stopped himself.

He couldn’t fault them since he would have done the same if he were among the council but being on the receiving end of their greed wasn’t something he enjoyed.

Lilith had probably gotten used to it or couldn’t care less. Atheline glanced at her, meeting her gaze in the process.

"And what," he asked evenly, " has the council invested in that expedition?"

No one responded letting the uncomfortable silence brew between them.

"No personnel, " he continued, " no funding. No authorisation. "

His gaze moved from one councilor to another.

"And yet, you speak of distribution."

General Thulem leaned back slightly unimpressed.

"Careful your highness, don’t let your newfound power get in your head... you’re not the only one with power."

’This guy always says the worst thing the moment he speaks’

The temperature in the room cooled. Atheline glanced at lilith, she did not look happy despite how calm she appeared.

"No," he agreed easily, "just the one closer to the crystals."

That hit, closer to home than they wanted to admit.

Lilith straightened up, her head tilting slightly as if considering something that she considered trivial.

"You want numbers," she said at last.

Several councillors straightened almost immediately.

"You want inventory. Classification. Access."

The words hit hard.

She tapped her fingers slightly on the arm of the throne.

"And in return?"

Silence. No one answered immediately because there wasn’t a good answer.

The sharp-eyed woman spoke first.

"In return, you maintain the council’s support."

Lilith’s lips curved into a slight unimpressed smile again.

"I already have it," she said.

The woman’s expression hardened.

"Support can shift."

"So can councillors, " Lilith replied smoothly, "and this will be the last chance. "

That did it, the room went still. Enough councillors have changed to know those casual words weren’t to be dismissed.

Atheline’s gaze flickered to her briefly filled with acknowledgement. He liked it when she was like this.

The noble elder raised his hand before the tension could tip up.

"Enough. "

His voice carried weight this time.

"We are not here to threaten one another."

A lie but a useful one. He looked at her carefully his gaze scrutinising.

"What are your intentions for the moon crystals... your majesty. "

Finally a better question, one that made sense.

She answered without hesitation.

"Refinement. Allocation. Controlled use."

"Under whose authority?" He asked.

She met his gaze.

"Mine."

A ripple moved through the councillors. Small whispers travelling between them.

Lilith let them talk for a moment before continuing.

"However, " she added, almost lazily, "I am willing to sell."

That changed everything. Greed was easier to manage than defiance.

General Thulem leaned forward again.

"At what rate?"

Now that earned the faintest smile from her.

"We can discuss pricing, " she said," after you decide how badly you need them."

The noble elder studied her for a long moment.

"You are turning the kingdom’s resource into a private market."

She chuckled slightly.

"What kingdom resources, " she said, almost sarcastically, " this is my own private inventory. Tell me, am I not supposed to have that?"

They held each other’s gaze. The noble elder was the first to look away.

"No my queen. "

"Good... I’m just turning a private resource, " she now corrected," into leverage. "

She said it plainly without a hint of care.

Another councillor spoke, quieter now.

"And the other treasures?"

Her finger stilled briefly.

"What about them?"

"You will declare them, yes?" He said.

She held his gaze.

"No."

Her tone was final, providing no openings for any argument.

The noble elder leaned back slowly.

"This matter is not concluded."

"It never is," she replied.

He nodded once.

"The council will deliberate on... terms."

She inclined her head slightly.

"Take your time."

From her carefree tone, it sounded like she already knew how things would turn out.

Lilith stood to leave.

The councillors bowed as she walked down the stairs and past them.

Atheline fell into step beside her without a word.

The door closed behind them with a soft click.

...

The corridors leading to their room were quiet, just the echo of their footsteps and the distant hush of the palace as servants moved around. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

They didn’t stop walking moving forward in a quiet silence that felt both comfortable and refreshing.

Only when they turned into the next corridor away from the main hall did Atheline let out an exhale.

"News travels faster than I thought," Atheline said, his tone filled with exhaustion," is this going to escalate?"

"They wouldn’t dare," she said her voice softer now," they know their limits."

She glanced at him.

"I had expected this much."

"Are you seriously planning on selling those moon crystals?" He asked.

She nodded. He tilted his head slightly trying to understand her point of view.

"Won’t this be a loss on your side, since they crave the crystals isn’t it better to hold it over them. A leverage of sorts."