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The night air was perfumed with jasmine and rose, the garden lanterns flickering like fire‑flies caught in a soft breeze. Inside the grand hall, the ceiling was a canopy of crystal chandeliers that threw a million tiny points of light across the polished marble, as if a sky of stars had been pulled down to sit among the guests. Rows of white lilies, marigolds and orchids formed garlands that draped the columns, and every table was dressed in silver‑threaded cloth, each place set with gilt cutlery that caught the glow of the chandeliers.