The following day arrived with a level of chaos that felt like a personal insult. It was the absolute worst kind of morning, the sort that didn't just wake you up but aggressively dragged you into a reality you weren't ready to face. I wanted nothing more than to crawl back under the heavy duvet, pull the pillows over my head, and stay there for a decade or two, but the universe had other plans. Before the sun had even managed to clear the horizon, casting its first pale rays over the jagged peaks of the demon realm, the doors to my chambers were practically kicked open.
A flood of palace helpers swarmed the room like a hive of persistent bees whose queen had just ordered a mandatory overtime shift. They didn't just walk in; they staged a full-scale tactical takeover. Within seconds, the
