The name rang cleanly in the hall, and the holo-slate near the dais answered with a soft, confirming chime as the imperial archive accepted the spoken line and locked it into the public record. The letters flashed once, NATALIE DIANA FRASNER, then collapsed into a seal stamp that only the closest witnesses could see. A clerk at the side console didn't even look up, fingers moving as the palace grid breathed quietly through the etherlines in the walls.
Gabriel's gaze went to Natalie immediately.
Natalie, dressed in a formal cloak that had clearly been designed by someone who had never met an infant with opinions, blinked slowly at the dais as if deciding whether the Emperor and the Empress were worth her attention today. Her ash-blonde hair stuck up in a soft, determined halo that no amount of court preparation had managed to tame. One small fist was tucked into the fabric at Rafael's chest like she was anchoring herself in place.
And then she noticed Gabriel.
