Two weeks had passed since the war ended.
Versailles had returned to its normal rhythm.
Not the quiet kind. The palace was never quiet. But the pressure that had shaped every movement during the war was gone. Officers still moved through the halls. Ministers still carried reports. Clerks still worked through stacks of documents. The difference was in the pace.
There was no urgency behind every step anymore.
Work continued, but it was controlled.
By midday, preparations were already in place for a new arrival.
The courtyard had been cleared. Guards stood in position, not in heavy formation, but enough to mark the occasion. Staff lined the entrance, waiting.
A carriage entered through the gates.
It moved across the courtyard and came to a stop at the main steps.
The door opened.
King Joachim Murat of Naples stepped out.
