Heinz pauses, his back still turned to them. The magic surging through the air slowly faded, and the trembling of the stone walls settled into a suffocating stillness. Even the torches lining the dungeon flickered more gently now, as though fearful of what might come next.
His voice, when it came, was low but absolute.
"A hundred lashes to her back," Heinz said, tilting his head just enough to glance over his shoulder, his crimson eyes glowing faintly in the gloom. "Make sure every single person in the palace sees it."
'Lashes? Lashes as in…' Florian's heart skipped a beat. 'Public punishment? No—public humiliation?'
A chill ran down Florian's spine as the words echoed in his mind, bouncing off the cold stone of the dungeon just like the clanking of Delilah's chains.
Lucius stiffened, his brows subtly furrowing. "Public whipping? Your Majesty, isn't that..." he trailed off, hesitant, as though weighing the cost of saying more.
