The doors to the dining hall were opened shortly after.
Servants moved first, guiding the flow of the room with quiet, practiced motions. The guests followed in order, stepping toward their assigned seats without hesitation.
The long table stretched across the center of the hall, already set in full. A white cloth ran from one end to the other without a crease. Silverware was aligned precisely at each setting, and crystal glasses caught the light from the chandeliers above. Every seat had been placed according to rank, and the distance from the head of the table made that hierarchy clear without explanation.
Napoleon II took his seat first.
Elisabeth settled to his right, composed as always, while Elsa was guided into place beside her. The child adjusted herself in the chair, sitting upright at first, though her eyes moved across the table with quiet curiosity as she took in the scale of it.
The rest of the guests followed.
