The first thing Eshaan noticed when he entered the palace the following morning was that the building felt different.
Nothing obvious had changed. The guards were at their usual positions, servants were moving between the administrative rooms and messengers were coming and going from the western quarter. Yet the atmosphere was more controlled than it had been during his earlier visits. There were fewer people standing around the corridors, and the officials who did pass through seemed to be carrying documents rather than engaging in conversation.
