The royal study stayed quiet, with only soft silver clinking against porcelain carrying through the closed room.
The shut doors separated the study from the politics crowding every corridor of the royal palace. Inside, the air felt heavy and cold because of the constant pressure the King naturally leaked.
Elias moved smoothly between the shelves, silently setting a steaming cup of dark tea beside the arranged plates. The King had ignored both through another entire night of reports and border requests.
Elias stepped back from the desk and offered one precise bow.
"Your meal is served, Your Majesty," Elias announced in the quiet voice the palace expected of him.
The King did not look up because his attention remained buried in the reports across his desk.
Night-long exhaustion had carved lines around his eyes while his fingers pressed against another petition. He finally reached for the tea without lifting his gaze from the page.
