I could not take it anymore.
The silence, the waiting, the dread. It clawed at my ribs like a beast with no face, only sharp teeth and whispers. I stood up abruptly, my chair screeching against the floor behind me. My feet carried me out the door before I could fully think. I did not care if they turned me away again. i needed to know the truth, not tomorrow, not later.
Maybe they really were just busy. Maybe everything was normal and I was the one unraveling. Maybe… maybe I was wrong.
I repeated that thought over and over like a prayer as I rushed down the corridor, my slippers light against the marble floor. The golden tapestries and tall windows blurred past me. two guards stood ahead at the familiar doors to the emperor's office, and as expected, the stepped forward when they saw me approach.
"Your royal highness," one of them began, lowering his head with practiced grace, "His majesty is not yet free. You may return at a later time—"
