We entered a grand hall resembling the circular chamber of a parliamentary stage. Audience seats rose steeply around us, encircling a central lodge that commanded attention. The chamber hosted about a hundred occupants, every seat filled. The majority of the audience wore black togas, while those seated in the lodge stood out in deep, bloody-red robes. There were five of them, their attire signaling their status as judges, an elite faction presiding over the court. The rest were likely court representatives, their black togas giving them a unified, ominous presence.
From the moment I stepped inside, one figure demanded my attention. Seated prominently in the lodge's central chair was a striking woman with blonde, almost white hair and eyes like shards of ice. Her beauty was as chilling as
