Chapter 124: THE ASCENSION(2)

Xina should have expected to see him here. It wasn’t just the nobles from this kingdom who had gathered; other kinds of supernatural creatures were also in attendance, drawn to witness the future queen of the zamuda. Even the centaurs had arrived. They stood at the back, towering over the crowd, their height giving them an unobstructed view of Xina. When Xina glanced at Jason, the vampire smiled at her, beaming as if they were old friends, as if he were genuinely happy for her. But his smile unnerved her. There was something about it that didn’t sit right, something that made her skin crawl. She redirected her attention to Gary. His presence grounded her, even though anxiety gnawed at her, making each step heavier and her heart pound louder. Every step brought her closer to him, and for now, that was all she needed to focus on—not Jason, not the centaurs, not the rest of the crowd gathered in the throne room. Ten stairs stood between her and Gary, and she feared she might trip over h