The door did not open when he wanted it to.
That was the first thing he noticed.
Not the silence.
Not the guards.
Not even the way the corridor had thinned out, as if the palace itself was holding its breath.
Just the door.
Still closed.
Still keeping him out.
Kael stood exactly where he had been left.
Hours had passed—he knew that much—but it didn’t feel like time.
It felt like waiting stretched thin until it could snap.
“They’re still working.”
Someone had said it earlier.
Maybe the healer.
Maybe a guard.
He hadn’t answered.
Because working wasn’t enough.
Not when it was her.
He dragged a hand over his face, exhaling slowly, but it didn’t settle anything inside him.
Nothing settled.
Nothing eased.
Then
The door opened again.
This time, not with urgency.
Not with c
