The royal court had not felt such a suffocating weight in centuries. Not during war councils. Not during invasions. Not even when the demons had once descended upon the borders of Nacrifa. Today, the air was different, closer, heavier, predatory. Every noble, every courtier, every servant who had dared linger in the throne hall felt it before the doors even opened.
Prince Sebastian had summoned judgment. The Crown Prince's voice had called for every official, every guard, every noble who remained in the palace to assemble in the great hall. The reason was already whispered in the shadows, a poisoning. A crime so close to the prince that it could have shaken the foundations of the court.
And the victim?
Aliena.
Sunlight poured through the crimson-stained glass windows, painting the marble floor in fractured shades of red and gold. The nobles stiffened, their usual arrogance swallowed by the oppressive tension. Whispers faded. Breath caught. No one dared speak.
