The silence didn’t slip in softly. It crashed—a sudden, unnatural hush that swallowed laughter, whispers, even breath. One second, the grand hall pulsed with life and vicious amusement. The next, nothing.
It felt like the palace itself had frozen, holding its breath, refusing to let it go.
Hundreds of nobles turned to stone. Servants dropped their eyes. The guards straightened up, stiff as a row of swords. Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. Nobody dared look toward the entrance.
The Crown Prince had arrived—and something was wrong. You didn’t need to see his face to know it, but when you did, the room just got colder.
Kael filled the doorway like he’d been carved from night and sunlight, all sharp edges rimmed in gold. Afternoon light framed him, but there was nothing holy about his eyes. The
