Penelope’s POV

That earned a few shocked stares.

I couldn’t help it.

I smiled.

Even like this… she still had fire.

And just like that, the room split again.

Sides forming.

Voices rising.

Chaos was coming.

And Daemon still hadn’t spoken.

But gods help all of us when he did.

The room was hot.

Too hot.

Or maybe that was just me.

Tension sat heavy on everyone’s shoulders. Callister stood in chains. Daemon stood like a storm about to break.

But Ardan was smiling.

“I said five hundred ...