Heena opened her mouth, her voice cutting through the heavy, suffocating silence of the throne room like a serrated blade.
"Your Majesty, about twenty years ago, before your coronation, the Empress—who was the Crown Princess at the time—suffered a tragic event. It is recorded that she lost a child."
The words struck an exposed, bleeding nerve.
The Emperor's face went entirely blank. He violently shoved his golden chair backward, the heavy wood screeching against the polished floor. Without a single word, he reached over to the ceremonial weapon rack beside the throne, unsheathed a gleaming, razor-sharp steel sword, and walked down the steps of the dais.
A wave of absolute, paralyzing terror swept through the hall. Every single imperial guard standing at the periphery dropped to their knees, trembling so hard their armor rattled. The head eunuch squeezed his eyes shut, pressing his face into the floorboards, waiting for the sound of a head rolling.
