Ahcehera stepped out of the library, her fingers still cold from the touch of the ancient book.
Her thoughts were clouded, tangled in the goddess's words, but the weight of reality struck her the moment she noticed the unusual movement around the palace grounds.
Servants rushed in and out of corridors, guards whispered among themselves, and tension clung to the air like a storm about to break.
Her keen senses picked up the stiff postures of the knights stationed near the entrance, their hands gripping their weapons too tightly. Something was wrong.
Her golden eyes scanned the area, sharp and calculating, until the palace guards finally noticed her presence.
A wave of visible relief crossed their faces, yet their shoulders remained rigid. Then, the captain of the guard stepped forward, his expression unreadable beneath his helmet.
"Princess, your husband was caught in an accident, and his body could not be found anywhere."
