The night had just begun once the holiday dinner ended. Everyone gathered in the garden, the pavilion, and wherever they were in the palace, with high expectations for the fireworks show. They chattered happily, waiting for their eyes to be bedazzled by the brilliant lights and colors that would fill the endless night sky.
Lucianna was holding Phoenix in her old marital room with Beichen. It looked the same as always, and nothing seemed to have changed or was out of place. The glaring picture of them in their white wedding attire still hung above the cozy fireplace, which occasionally sizzled with burnt wood. The bedsheets were still the same ones as before, noting the fact that they had not been changed because there was no one sleeping in this room anymore.
The large windows were thick, but so clear that she could see fireworks going off in the distance. It was as picturesque as this abandoned room—still life, but no sound... no piercing sound of fireworks.