"But he hasn't found them," Damon said, following the logic. "Or they don't exist."
"Or they do exist, but confirming them would expose inconsistencies," Silas added. "Which is why Aldric hasn't presented them despite having weeks to do so."
Eve felt something crystallize in her understanding. "The challenge is designed to create doubt through technicality, not to actually win. If Lysander never completes full ratification, the challenge remains unresolved, which means my authority stays in question, which means old guard factions can use that uncertainty to undermine the reform from within."
"That's my fear," Raphael said grimly. "They don't need to win the legal challenge. They just need to create enough uncertainty to damage your credibility."
Eve moved to the window, looking out over the Seraphim Court's gardens where supernatural factions mixed freely, where the politics of power and alliance were constantly shifting.
