The palace hummed with nervous energy. Taut as bowstrings, attendants and maids and scullions flitted through the halls and toiled at their stations, rushing to get the final preparations in place, reap produce from the gardens, and procure market-fresh meats and seafood. Forewarning or not, it would be impolite to forgo a banquet on the night of the delegates’ arrival.
Ahsan sat in the solarium by the reflecting pool, Nirah and Belshun and Nasha alongside him, but what he really wanted was to retire back to his room. Though his late night adventure with Nirah had left his heart full, it left his mind struggling to function. Even so, the plans set into motion weren’t going to wait for him to rest, and the sooner he reviewed their changes the sooner he could get an hour or two of sleep.
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