Morning came in grey again, but it didn't feel like the same morning as before. Something had shifted in the bones of the palace. Not loud, not chaotic, just… tighter.
Elias noticed it the moment he stepped into the corridor.
People bowed deeper than usual.
Not respect.
Measurement.
He walked past them anyway, the long fall of silver behind him catching the low light, the circlet steady on his head, his expression unreadable in that way that had started to make people uncomfortable. A week ago, they would have looked relieved to see him. Now they looked… careful.
Let them be careful.
He didn't slow down. Nico was half a step behind him, quiet as always, eyes moving faster than anyone would ever notice. They didn't speak until they reached the smaller council chamber Elias had chosen deliberately, not the grand one, not the one with the throne dais and the echoing ceiling, but something tighter, something easier to control.
