Drunk

The burial of Tae was silent, too silent. I couldn't shake the emptiness that settled deep within me, the heavy sadness that clung to my every step. We had laid her to rest, but it didn't feel like enough. Nothing would ever feel like enough. I stood there, barely able to hold myself together, watching as they covered her with earth. There was something so final about it, something that made the weight on my chest even heavier.

When we finally returned to the palace, I didn't even notice the halls as I walked past them. My feet seemed to move on their own, dragging me toward my chambers. I needed to be alone, to breathe, to think—though I wasn't sure what there was left to think about.