@ForgiveUsKing: Nobody's chewing. Nobody's laughing. Just grief and silence. That's the power of truth.
No one announced the banquet was over.
It just… was.
People simply rose from their seats, plates left untouched, conversations fading into quiet nods and sighs.
The royal servers didn't return to the floor.
The musicians never picked up their instruments again.
Even the chandeliers seemed to glow a little dimmer.
An apology hung in the air, unspoken, but deeply understood.
They hadn't believed.
They had speculated.
They had judged.
But now… all they could do was acknowledge the weight of what they had witnessed. And mourn.
The banquet had dissolved into quiet clusters of murmuring figures and bowed heads.
Just as the first few guests began to excuse themselves in solemn silence, Somto rose to his feet again. His presence alone was enough to still the room once more.
