Her departure left a pleasant silence in the throne room. I watched the heavy doors swing shut, the echo reverberating through the hall. It was strangely… satisfying, knowing that no matter how hard she tried to hold her own, she couldn't escape me, not truly. She could leave the room, but my grip on her remained, tightening with every encounter.
I let the silence hang in the air a moment longer, savoring the faint trace of her defiance, like the last notes of a song I hadn't realized I would want to hear. But soon, the emptiness slipped back in, filling the room and settling into that usual, hollow spot in my chest, familiar and irritating.
