Automatic_Working803's journey

I recently went through a series of interviews with a small boutique consulting firm for a consulting role. I completed my third round of interviews last week, and during my initial call with the recruiter, I was told that after the third round, the process would be smooth sailing. I was expecting just a call with the HR manager and to provide some references. However, I received a vague message last week asking to connect for a call this week, which felt different from the previous, more formal interviews. I'm starting to wonder if this call could be a polite way of delivering a rejection. It seems odd to me that they would schedule a call without mentioning any feedback or updates, just a simple 'thank you for doing the third round, can we schedule a call?' I'm anxious about what this might mean and if anyone else has experienced something similar.