Third Person POV:
The hall had not yet settled from the shock of Selena's return when she stepped forward again, drawing the last of the whispers into silence as naturally as if she had always belonged at the center of the room.
The elders remained seated, uncertainty plain on their faces, and although Silas stood near the throne with his composure mostly restored, the earlier surprise had not completely faded from his eyes.
Selena allowed her gaze to move slowly across the hall. The banners prepared for a new reign still hung behind the throne, and for a brief moment something sharp moved through her chest, not jealousy, but the quiet realization of how easily the world had continued without her.
And before she spoke again, she gave herself a moment to feel the weight of the room and the shift that had already begun.
"The coronation will not continue today," she said calmly.
