I arrived at the dining hall to find everyone already seated around the massive table. The moment I stepped inside, every single person immediately rose to their feet.
"Greetings, Your Majesty," they chorused in unison.
My gaze swept across the hall calmly, though inwardly I was searching for only one person.
Arabella.
But she was nowhere in sight.
I forced myself to ignore the disappointment and focused instead on the guests gathered before me.
"How long has it been since we all gathered together like this to share a meal?" I asked as I slowly made my way toward my seat at the head of the table.
"It truly is a thing of celebration, my king," Lord Nikolai Grey of the Eastern Kingdom spoke with a polite smile.
I lifted one side of my lips into a faint sarcastic smirk.
"A thing of celebration indeed."
I sat down and waved for everyone else to do the same. Chairs scraped softly against the floor as the nobles settled back into their seats.
