The Hall of a Thousand Eyes was packed to the last corner. Its tall, carved glass windows let in the sunlight, which reflected off the golden mosaics on the floor, creating a river of sparkles across the attentive faces of those present. Each column was decorated with intricate engravings of dragons and lotus flowers, symbols of purity and resilience, that seemed to observe with silent judgment every movement in the room.
The Festival of the Radiant Lotus was being celebrated, an ancestral ceremony in which members of the court and representatives of the Five Houses presented symbolic offerings to the throne, a ritual that blended beauty, politics, and veiled warnings. The murmurs of the attendees intertwined with the aroma of incense, scented candles, and the soft creaking of sandals on marble.
