By noon, the "Imperial Seclusion" had transitioned from a point of curiosity to the singular obsession of the entire Nevarethian court.
It moved through the palace like a slow, humid fog, clinging to the velvet curtains of the noble quarters and the soot-stained stones of the stables alike.
The Emperor and Empress had not emerged. The silver-chased doors remained barred against the world, and with every hour that passed, the legends of what was occurring behind them grew more… inventive.
In the Noble Quarters, where the air usually smelled of lavender and repressed ambition, the gossip was served alongside the morning tea with a side of delicious malice.
"Have you heard?" Lady Elara whispered, her fan fluttering like a trapped bird. "The Emperor and Empress haven't left their chambers. It has been two full days."
