The room stayed frozen even after the echo of the slap had died.
No one moved.
No one breathed.
Everyone waited for the Queen's next command, terrified of making even the slightest sound.
Queen Rose didn't look at any of them.
She kept her eyes on me sharp, unreadable, silently measuring every breath I took. Then, slowly, she turned her head to the guards.
"Remove the onlookers," she said quietly.
It wasn't a request.
It was a decree.
Instantly, the guards snapped out of their stunned trance and began ushering everyone out of the chamber.
The maids didn't need to even be shooed out of the room.
With what the Queen had just displayed they were ready to disappear out of the room.
Maids scattered like startled birds.
Cherry walked out stiffly, still recovering from the shock.
Coral hesitated, she looked at me as if she wanted to speak, but the Queen's eyes cut to her and she obeyed.
Belle left last, grinning at Auburn's misery before slipping out.
