The court had dispersed, yet the echoes of the day lingered in my head like a shadow that refused to leave. Even as the last petitions were heard, even as I dismissed the nobles with a calm mask, inside I carried the weight of the matter that had been presented before me. Justice was never simple; it was a blade that cut in more than one direction, and tonight, that blade had turned heavy in my hand.

By the time I walked the familiar corridor back to my chamber, torches already lit against the stone, my shoulders felt burdened, and my temples throbbed faintly with the ache of thought. I longed only for the quiet of my chamber, for the comfort of her presence.