Time had passed, yet the silence echoing within the stone walls of Addura Palace remained unchanged. The lifeless bodies of King Haruth and his son, Prince Darius, had long since grown cold. The servants carrying them moved with quiet, careful steps. Their corpses, wrapped in white sheets unstained by blood, were slowly borne through the stone corridors, accompanied only by the sound of footsteps reverberating through the halls.
The grand dining hall was still cold, still dark. The two empty chairs at the head of the table were the only sign that those who once occupied them were no longer there. Golden plates lay untouched, silver forks and knives glimmered faintly in the flickering candlelight. The remnants of an unfinished feast were enveloped in a tomb-like silence.
