The carriages passed beneath the walls of Valon without slowing, stone giving way to broader avenues as the city opened around them. Not long after, the inner walls of the castle followed, taller and heavier, their presence pressing down with a quiet authority that marked the boundary between the capital and the seat of power itself.
They emerged into the outer grounds soon after.
The space before the castle was already alive with motion. Servants moved with purpose along the paths, aides stood ready near the entrance, and attendants waited in practiced positions, all of them prepared for Seraphina's arrival and for the guests traveling with her. Nothing felt rushed, but nothing was idle either. Every movement fit into a structure that had been rehearsed countless times before.
