Nicholas~
The clatter of silverware faded as the servants whisked away the last of the breakfast plates, their movements brisk, efficient, almost too loud in the sudden quiet that followed. The grand hall seemed to exhale, but the air didn't lighten—it grew heavier, saturated with the ghosts of our earlier chatter. Sunlight spilled through the high windows, no longer the soft gold of dawn but sharp, deliberate beams that carved long shadows across the polished stone floor. Even the gleam of the marble felt restless, like it too was waiting for something to break.
