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9

Author: M. F.
last update Huling Na-update: 2025-05-18 23:34:26

CHAPTER NINE

Contract Marriage

Elaric Nox stood alone in the Obsidian Chamber, examining the ceremonial arrangements with a critical eye. Shadow magic flowed around him in controlled patterns, responding to his mental discipline as he verified each detail of the upcoming ceremony. The contract document rested on its silver pedestal, night-parchment absorbing ambient light rather than reflecting it—appropriate symbolism for the pragmatic arrangement about to be formalized.

Perfect precision in every element, as befits House Nox. No excessive ceremony, no wasteful display—just efficient implementation of mutually beneficial agreement.

The chamber's obsidian surfaces gleamed with inner luminosity, shadow itself refined into illumination that provided clarity without harshness. Around the chamber's perimeter, the carefully selected witnesses had begun to assemble—Council members whose presence was politically necessary, diplomatic representatives whose observation would ensure inter-house
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