"Y-You want me to answer this?" Layla asked, her voice wavering just slightly as her eyes flicked between the King and the others present. The question slipped out almost reflexively, as if she needed to hear the confirmation aloud to believe it. Given the situation, it was only natural for her to doubt her own assumption. She genuinely had no clear grasp of what this was all leading to, or why the weight of the moment suddenly felt so heavy on her shoulders.
"That's right," the King replied calmly.
His gaze stayed fixed on his daughter, steady and unreadable, yet there was something deliberate behind it. He wasn't looking at her like a king addressing a subject, nor even like a father lecturing his child. It felt more like he was placing something fragile yet important into her hands and waiting to see how she would hold it. There was no hint of guidance in his tone, no suggestion of what answer he expected. He truly wanted Layla to speak for herself.
