— Take this emblem, he continued, symbol of the breadth of your wealth… and the weight of your name.
His voice had grown deeper, weighing each syllable like a blacksmith hammering molten metal.
A maid stepped forward, carrying in her hands an ornate chest, of a beauty almost indecent in its magnificence.
Every step she took seemed to amplify the glitter of the stones, casting fleeting flashes on the walls like glimmers from another world.
It exuded excess, every detail of its surface adorned with rare stones, ancient engravings that seemed to whisper lost secrets, and alchemical locks that glowed with a mysterious, almost supernatural light.
A diffuse tension seeped onto the balcony, a nervous expectation barely lifting the veils of silence.
Even the torches seemed to waver with hesitation, casting nervous shadows that twisted along the ancient walls.
When she opened it, the air around us seemed to pause for a moment, as if time itself hesitated to continue its course.
