Vyan was on his knees.
The glow of the chandeliers above flickered faintly, as though sensing the dark magic that had surged through the Grand Hall moments ago.
His entire body convulsed violently. One of his hands clutched his chest, and the other one curled against the polished marble as if fighting some invisible chain. His breath stuttered in ragged, shallow gasps, sweat pearling down his temples. It felt like he was choking, his gut being ripped apart.
Everyone was frozen for a moment. Nobody came forward.
And then, panic erupted like wildfire.
Several nobles leapt back in terror. Whispers rose to frightened cries, and cries turned to frenzied banging on the gilded doors of the hall.
"Open the doors!"
"Let us out, or else he'll kill us all!"
"Please, please—if Grand Duke turns on us, there's no way we will survive!"
Their fear was raw, desperate. They had seen what Vyan was capable of. If Jade had truly taken control of him… they were already corpses wearing jewels.
