For once, the palace was quiet in a way that felt earned after Nero's hydraulic little project.
The children were at the airport.
Which, in itself, was enough to make half the security team consider resignation.
Nero had insisted on going in person because apparently greeting friends required scale, coordination, and visible drama. Nayra had gone too, partly because she genuinely wanted to see them, partly because someone with judgment needed to be present, and partly because leaving Nero unsupervised in an airport environment felt like the beginning of an international incident.
Dean. Sebastian. Zion.
Three names, three incoming storms, and not one of them mild enough to justify optimism.
Chris had watched the motorcade leave with the expression typically reserved for legal threats. Then he had turned, looked at Dax, and said, "If they get banned from civilian airspace, I'm blaming the bloodline. Your bloodline."
