Chapter 176 - The King's Challenge

I stepped inside alongside Phoenix and thanked the man at the door quietly. He gave me a warm smile but kept his eyes carefully away from Phoenix. I looked around the room and took it in properly. The King and Queen were seated in two large deep red velvet armchairs with a glass table in front of them carrying stacked papers and a leather-bound book. The room was not particularly large, more of a private study than a formal reception space, with an intimacy about it that felt deliberately cultivated. A black velvet sofa sat opposite them, wide enough for three.