It was a very beautiful morning.
The sun had risen gently over the palace of Svetlana, covering the land in soft golden light that looked almost like silk spread across the earth. The sky was clear and bright, without even a single cloud to disturb it. Birds flew happily through the air, their sweet songs echoing through the gardens below like soft music carried by the wind. The flowers had fully bloomed after the long cold winter, opening wide as if they were breathing again after a long sleep. Their heavy scent filled the palace grounds, sweet and calm. Even the trees moved peacefully with the morning breeze, their leaves swaying slowly as if nothing in the world could ever be wrong.
Everything felt alive.
Everything felt warm.
Everything looked beautiful.
But somehow none of that beauty reached Ivan.
His chambers were dark despite the sunlight slipping through the curtains, as if the room itself refused to accept the morning.
