Right on cue, the door opened and one of her secretaries stepped in—a thin, sharp-eyed man with ink still drying on his cuffs, the type who lived on work and coffee and very little else.
Heena glanced at him. "Secretary," she said, "write down what I'm about to say. Line by line."
He bowed. "Yes, Your Majesty."
He pulled out a leather folder, set paper on the low table, uncapped his pen, and waited.
Heena leaned back slightly.
"Today," she began, clearly and slowly, "I, Empress Celeste, in the presence of my secretary and the members of the Whitmore family, make the following decree.
"Lord Marcus Whitmore has served me for many years as a loyal vassal. However, his daughter has again and again tested and crossed the line. By strict law, the entire Whitmore family could be punished—stripped of rank, executed, or exiled—for her repeated offenses.
