Chapter 96 - 96: Iron and Silk

Oskar very nearly dropped his glass of apple juice when he saw them.

He recovered instantly—because that was what the court required—but the surprise was real enough that he felt it ripple through his shoulders before he smoothed it away. He set the glass down, adjusted his posture, and began moving through the banquet hall with the unhurried calm of a man who owned half the room even when he said nothing.

The music, the laughter, the glitter of chandeliers—none of it softened the quiet pressure that followed him. Every step he took felt measured, observed, judged. In this room, movement itself was a statement.

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