Chapter 207 "I Am The Last Of Drakemires"

• The days following Ariella’s conversation with Syra had passed in a blur, the weight of their words lingering in her mind like a shadow she couldn’t escape. Every corner of the mansion felt like a trap, the walls closing in with each passing hour. As much as she wanted to trust Syra, something gnawed at her—a sense that the woman, so poised and charismatic, was playing a much larger game, and Ariella was merely a piece on her board.
• The quiet of the mansion was shattered when a messenger arrived, breathless and urgent, carrying a sealed scroll. Ariella’s heart skipped as she broke the seal and unfurled the parchment. It was a summons. The Council of Lords had called for a gathering of all faction leaders, and she was expected to attend.
• The Council—a mix of the kingdom's most powerful figures, each ruling a different region or clan—was the beating heart of Ilthoria's fractured political structure. It was a gathering that could either mend the rifts between the kingdom’s factions or fracture them further. And Ariella knew she was the wild card in this game, the one who could tip the balance.