But the upper tiers remained seated. The older representatives, the traditionalists, the ones who remembered the Alliance before human integration—they hesitated.
I watched a Romvesian in the middle tier glance toward Lord Xycot, clearly waiting for a signal. Xycot's expression was unreadable, his body language giving nothing away.
The moment stretched, taut as a wire.
Then Ambassador Thessa stood. Slowly, deliberately, her gaze fixed on Serna with something that looked like respect.
That broke the dam.
More beings rose. Not all at once, not in a wave, but in a steady progression—representatives from different species, different factions, different political alignments. Some looked uncertain. Some looked resolute. But they stood.
And finally—finally—Lord Xycot rose to his feet.
His expression was still grave, still cautious. But he stood.
The Romvesian section followed his lead, some more reluctantly than others, but standing nonetheless.
The applause started like thunder—sudden, overwhelming, impossible to ignore.
More beings stood. More voices joined the approval. The sound built and built until the entire chamber seemed to shake with it.
I sat frozen, unable to process what was happening.
They were approving. They wereacceptingus.
Down the bond, I felt Serna's relief crash over her like a wave. Her joy. Her gratitude.
Ako raised his voice over the applause. "Let the record show that the Council of the Alliance grants its blessing to the union of the Lady Prime Serna of Vaktaire and Admiral Cullen Blackwood. From this day forward, Admiral Blackwood shall be known as Prime Consort, with all the rights and responsibilities the title entails."
The applause grew even louder.
I looked across the chamber and found Serna's eyes. She was smiling—not the composed, political smile of the Prime, but something genuine and radiant and full of love.
Chloe grabbed my arm, laughing and crying at the same time. "Dad. Dad, they said yes!"
"I heard," I managed, my voice rough.
Nansar was grinning. Charick looked relieved. Even Ako allowed himself a small smile.
Finally, the noise began to die down. Serna raised her hand, and the chamber fell silent once more.
"Thank you," she said simply. "Thank you for your trust. Thank you for your blessing. I promise you that I will continue to serve the Alliance with everything I have. And I promise that together—" she looked at me again "—we will build a future worthy of all our peoples."
More applause. But this time it was different—not just approval, but hope.
As the session formally ended and beings began to file out of the chamber, I sat there trying to process what had just happened.
I was Prime Consort.
Me. A human. A former soldier who'd stumbled into Alliance politics almost by accident.
I was going to spend the rest of my life beside Serna, helping her lead an interstellar alliance of thousands of worlds.
It was terrifying. It was overwhelming.
It was perfect.
Serna made her way through the crowd toward me, accepting congratulations and well-wishes from dozens of representatives. But her eyes never left mine.
