The music lingered on its final swell, strings quivering as though unwilling to let go, before dissolving into silence. For a moment, the hall seemed to hold its breath again, and then applause broke like a storm.
The ether-screens replayed the last turn of the Emperor and Empress in slow, refracted light: Gabriel's poised smile, Damian's unflinching hand at his back, and the faint glint of shared laughter caught between them like a secret.
When they drew apart, Gabriel's hand still resting lightly in Damian's, the nobles rose from their chairs as one.
The floor opened then, attendants ushering nobles forward in carefully timed rotations. Couples swept in, dukes with their wives, envoys with their companions, and ministers with partners who smiled too wide. The orchestra shifted to a more generous rhythm.
Gabriel and Damian withdrew to the edge of the floor, returning to their circuit of the banquet.
