Elara's POV
I pulled myself back to the present, to Corvus sitting across from me in the evening light, waiting to see where this conversation would go.
"You gave me truth when you had every reason not to," I said. "You risked your position on the council. You went against Malakor's authority. You conducted an investigation you had no official sanction for." I paused. "And you did it because you thought I deserved to know what I was actually facing, not what others wanted me to think I was facing."
Corvus nodded slowly. "I did."
"That's why I chose you." I leaned forward. "Not because you're ambitious but because when it mattered, you gave me the information I needed even though it put you at risk. That's the kind of advisor I need. Someone who will tell me the truth even when it's inconvenient. Even when it complicates things."
"Truth can be uncomfortable, Your Majesty," he said quietly.
