The royal guards stationed at the wide, open entrance of the ballroom immediately stepped aside, lowering their heads in deep, synchronized bows.
The orchestra didn't stop playing this time, but the music suddenly felt a lot quieter as the atmosphere in the room grew heavy. The relaxed, cheerful energy of the banquet vanished in a single heartbeat, replaced by a cold, sharp tension.
Hajin watched from a quiet corner of the ballroom, his eyes narrowing as three distinct groups of people walked into the light of the chandeliers.
"The three pillars," Didi murmured, her voice losing all of its previous amusement. She stood a little straighter, her expression shifting into the perfect, unreadable mask of a royal.
The Top Three Major Houses of the kingdom had arrived.
