CH.106

The silence that followed Sahar's shocking words was defining. It seemed to stretch on for an eternity, sucking all the air from the cavernous hall like a vacuum.

A rising tide of confused murmurs and gasps rippled through the crowd as the prolonged, awkward silence dragged on interminably.

People shifted restlessly, exchanging bewildered glances and hushed whispers as they struggled to process this earth-shattering revelation.

Some brutally dug their nails into -their skin, as if seeking reassurance that they weren't hallucinating this surreal moment.

Even the normally unflappable King Frederick appeared completely blindsided with his eyes widening to saucers as the implications of his wife's words slowly sank in.

Son? What in the name of all that was holy did Sahar mean when she claimed Knox was not truly her son? And more mind-boggling still - the man they all knew as the Imperial, their mysterious and immensely powerful council leader, was his own flesh and blood?

Frede