The Palace Main Hall was a cavern of shimmering light and deceptive warmth. Thousands of candles flickered in crystal chandeliers, casting a golden glow over the polished marble floors and the velvet tapestries that adorned the walls. The air was a thick, intoxicating blend of roasted meats, aged wine, and the cloying perfumes of the aristocracy. Musicians tucked away in the balcony played a sweeping, melodic waltz that filled the space with a sense of artificial normalcy. To any casual observer, it was a night of grand celebration, a return to the opulence that the Kingdom of Astraia had always known. However, beneath the surface of the polite laughter and the clinking of silver goblets, there was a sharp, vibrating tension. The nobles moved like skittish gazelles, their eyes darting towa
