The Verdant Nexus was alive with motion.

  For the first time, Lords from outside Selene’s direct control were stepping into her domain—not as enemies, but as allies.

  They had come to join her Court of Balance.

  Some out of loyalty.

  Some out of necessity.

  And some because they knew there was no safer place to be.

  Selene sat at the head of the great stone table, golden eyes scanning the gathered Lords before her.

  They were not equal.

  Some had already sworn their loyalty.

  Others were new additions.

  And all of them were watching her.

  Waiting.

  ---

  Her Vassals Were Already Present.

  Blackwell, once her enemy, now seated respectfully, his expression unreadable.

  Estara, ever composed, ever calculating, her focus sharp.

  Vargis, still adjusting to his place in her court, but no longer resisting it.

  And now, the new Lords.

  Lords who had been strong enough to hold their own lands but not foolish enough to ignore what was happening around them.

  The first to speak was Lord Hadrian.

  He was a man of iron and discipline, his armor still bearing the scars of battle.

  His lands were fortified, his forces trained, and he had claimed four territories, securing a foothold within Selene’s sphere of influence.

  “I will be blunt,” Hadrian said, folding his arms. “You already know why we are here.”

  Selene inclined her head slightly.

  “Because you see the writing on the wall.”

  Hadrian exhaled. “I see the path forward, and I do not intend to walk it alone.”

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Selene nodded. “A wise choice.”

  Hadrian leaned forward slightly.

  “Then let us not waste time. The Court of Balance is already among the strongest Dominions in this region. But strength is not just measured by numbers.”

  Selene’s lips curved faintly.

  “You wish to know how I intend to lead?”

  Hadrian nodded. “That, and what our goals are.”

  ---

  The second new Lord spoke.

  Lady Selvaris.

  She was lean, sharp-eyed, and her aura radiated a quiet, lethal confidence.

  Her lands were smaller than Hadrian’s, but her forces were among the most disciplined.

  She had taken three territories and held them flawlessly.

  She had not expanded recklessly.

  She had not overreached.

  And that made her dangerous in the best possible way.

  “I do not kneel easily,” Selvaris said smoothly. “But I am not blind. You are rising faster than any other Lord in this region, and I have no desire to fight a war that cannot be won.”

  Her gaze met Selene’s.

  “I will lend my blade to your cause—so long as that cause is one I can believe in.”

  Selene exhaled softly.

  So that was how they would test her.

  Hadrian wanted to know her strategy.

  Selvaris wanted to know her vision.

  Good.

  She did not tolerate blind followers.

  She only accepted those who understood.

  ---

  She leaned forward slightly.

  “The Court of Balance does not exist to claim the most land,” she said.

  Hadrian’s brow furrowed slightly.

  Selvaris listened intently.

  Blackwell, Estara, and the others said nothing.

  They already knew the answer.

  Selene continued.

  “Many Dominions will expand recklessly, trying to climb the System’s ranks, trying to be seen.”

  She smiled slightly.

  “They will spread too thin.”

  Hadrian exhaled. “Like Callion.”

  Selene nodded. “And they will fall. One by one.”

  She let her golden gaze sweep across the room.

  “We will not make that mistake.”

  Hadrian and Selvaris exchanged a glance.

  Selene continued.

  “We do not need to expand without limit.”

  “We need to expand with purpose.”

  She tapped the table, where the map of the region was displayed.

  “Our goal is not to claim land simply to claim it.”

  “Our goal is to claim land so that no one else can use it against us.”

  She pointed toward the key borders.

  “We expand into positions of control.”

  “We claim choke points, natural barriers, key supply routes.”

  “And then, when the time is right, we take what we must—not because we can, but because it is necessary.”

  ---

  Hadrian’s gaze flickered.

  Selvaris leaned back slightly.

  Blackwell, for the first time since the meeting began, smirked.

  “Efficient,” he murmured.

  Selene turned toward him.

  He tilted his head.

  “You are not expanding for dominance,” he said. “You are expanding to prevent others from doing so.”

  Selene inclined her head.

  “Because control is not always about what you own.”

  She gestured toward the map again.

  “It is about what you deny others.”

  Hadrian exhaled slowly.

  “A defensive expansion.”

  Selene shook her head.

  “No.”

  “A controlled expansion.”

  Selvaris’s lips quirked slightly.

  “So you don’t want to rule everything?”

  Selene smiled faintly.

  “I do not need to.”

  She met Selvaris’s gaze.

  “I only need to rule what matters.”

  ---

  The room was silent for a long moment.

  Then, Hadrian nodded.

  Selvaris exhaled. “I can work with that.”

  Selene nodded once.

  “Then you are part of the Court of Balance.”

  The Dominion was growing.

  Not recklessly.

  Not blindly.

  But with precision.

  And that was why it would not fall like the others.

  Because Selene was not a ruler who seized power simply because she could.

  She was a ruler who decided what was worth taking.

  And the System would soon learn—

  That she was the only one who truly understood the game.