"Wait."
The single word cut through the throne hall like a crack in glass.
Kiara froze mid-step.
For a long, breathless moment, no one moved. No one even dared to breathe. Incense continued to curl upward from the burners while hundreds of candles flickered softly beneath the vaulted ceiling.
"Wait."
This time, everyone heard it.
Magnus slowly turned toward the coffin. Kaelan's pupils shrank. Ministers exchanged confused glances. Several royal guards instinctively moved to step between the royal family and the coffin, then stopped halfway—unsure who exactly they were trying to protect.
Then… a finger twitched.
Someone gasped.
The movement was so small that many thought they'd imagined it. But then another finger moved. The white funeral cloth draped over the Emperor's hand shifted slightly.
*Thump.*
A dull sound came from inside the coffin.
*Thump.*
The wooden lid trembled.
