CaleThe silence of the hall held as they led me deeper into WinterLand. Controlled rather than empty, the kind that comes from too many people thinking at once and none of them willing to speak first.The escort formation told me what I needed to know without anyone saying it out loud. Two Royal Knights ahead, two behind, and another pair placed at the corridor breaks created a pattern that looked open while still controlling movement. It was disciplined, built on repetition and trust in procedure, and it would have worked against most people who came through these halls.The deeper sections of the palace carried a different kind of weight. The air remained steady, regulated through systems that kept mana flow from fluctuating. Arcanum reinforcement sat beneath Technica integration, layered so cleanly it blended into the structure itself. Observation arrays were worked into the architecture rather than mounted on it, which meant they were part of the building rather than watching from outside it.They wanted me to feel that.I let them.The chamber they brought me into was built for more than conversation. The space between the table and the walls left room to move. The exits were placed so no one would hesitate if things shifted, and the anchor points beneath the floor told me the room could lock down completely if necessary.They had planned for problems.King Cassian Aurion stood at the far end of the table, his posture relaxed but held with intent. Queen Marcelline stood just behind and to his side. My first time seeing her in person. A striking woman — I could see the resemblance to Princess Talena in the sharpness around the eyes, the same lips, the same hairline. She had been ill in recent years and had rarely ventured out. No trace of that showed here tonight. Her attention was steady and curious as she watched me.Princess Talena stood closer to me than she should have, which (...)