{Third Person}
The next morning arrived with a quiet chill that lingered in the air long after sunrise.
Amara had just finished breakfast when voices drifted in from outside her sitting area, followed shortly by the sound of footsteps approaching.
A mont later, Elowen appeared at the entrance with two servants behind her carrying several shopping bags from the previous day.
Amara blinked in surprise before quickly standing up. "You brought them over yourself?" she asked.
Elowen waved a hand dismissively. "Of course. I was already coming here anyway."
The servants carefully arranged the bags inside before bowing and leaving the room.
Elowen imdiately made herself comfortable on the sofa as though the place belonged to her.
Amara could not help laughing softly at the sight. "You really treat this place like your own residence."
Elowen grinned. "That’s because no one here dares to chase away."
Amara shook her head with amusent before sitting across from her.
Ginger, who had been lazily curled beside the window, imdiately jumped down and walked toward Elowen. The princess’s eyes lit up at once.
"See?" Elowen said proudly while reaching down to stroke the cat. "Even Ginger missed ."
Ginger tolerated the affection for exactly three seconds before walking away again.
Amara laughed. "She’s still upset for so reason best known to her."
Elowen gasped dramatically. "Ungrateful creature."
The room filled with easy laughter after that. For a while, they chatted casually about the outing, the strange looks people gave Ginger, and so of the ridiculous things Elowen’s friends had said during lunch after Amara left.
Then, as if suddenly rembering sothing important, Elowen straightened slightly.
"Oh, right," she said. "I forgot to tell you. Father is hosting a birthday banquet for my brother in two months."
Amara paused. "His birthday?" she asked, already aware Alexander was who she was referring to.
Elowen nodded. "It will happen during the heart of winter," she explained. "Preparations will probably begin very soon."
Amara leaned back slightly, absorbing the information quietly.
For so reason, she had never truly thought about Alexander having a birthday or a life before all of this.
She knew things about him now—his temper, his habits, the way he preferred silence—but details like this had sohow never crossed her mind.
Without realizing it, her thoughts began drifting elsewhere. Then she looked back at Elowen.
"How big will the banquet be?" she asked.
Elowen blinked once, then laughed lightly. "Big?" she repeated. "It will practically be a state banquet."
Amara’s eyes widened slightly.
"Elaborate decorations, nobles from important families, court officials, political allies..." Elowen listed casually. "Everyone important will attend."
Amara grew thoughtful at that. Sothing quiet flickered in her eyes, though she said nothing about it.
Elowen noticed the look but did not question it. Instead, she stood up smoothly.
"I should go bother my brother now," she announced. "Do you care to co along?"
"No, thank you." Amara smiled faintly. "I will stay here."
"I figured."
Elowen leaned down quickly to poke Ginger one last ti despite the cat’s clear lack of interest, then headed out.
---
Unlike her relaxed visit with Amara, Elowen did not linger long once she crossed over to Alexander’s side of the residence.
She found him inside his study as expected.
Papers were spread across his desk, and he looked deeply focused on whatever he was reading when she entered without knocking.
"You really live such a boring life, brother," Elowen announced dramatically.
Alexander barely glanced up. "You entered without permission. What happened to your hands?"
"My hands are reserved for eating only." Elowen walked further inside and dropped into a chair comfortably.
"I heard Father is personally planning a birthday banquet for you," she said, sounding far too pleased about it.
Alexander returned his attention to the papers before him. "It is troubleso."
Elowen rolled her eyes instantly. "Oh, stop acting like soone sentenced to execution," she said. "It’s just a birthday banquet."
Alexander didn’t respond, so Elowen watched him for a mont before her expression softened slightly.
"I actually think it’s a good thing," she admitted. "People need to be reminded of who their Alpha Prince is."
His pen paused briefly against the paper.
Elowen sighed softly to herself.
Talking to Alexander sotis felt like throwing words into the wind. Still, she had long gotten used to it.
Seeing that he was clearly busy and not in the mood for extended conversation, she finally stood.
"Well, I will leave you to your boring paperwork," she said.
Alexander did not stop her. As she reached the door, however, his voice suddenly ca from behind her.
"Did you visit her before coming here?"
Elowen stopped, then slowly turned around, already smiling knowingly. "Yes, I did," she replied. "Your human bride is perfectly fine."
Alexander’s expression imdiately cooled again, as though he regretted speaking at all.
Elowen almost laughed. But in the end, she waved and left the study, far too entertained by what she had just discovered.
---
The news spread through the palace faster than expected.
Servants whispered about it in corridors, guards carried fragnts of the information between shifts.
And before noon, fully arrived, almost every important residence within the inner palace already knew His Majesty was personally preparing a grand birthday banquet for the Alpha Prince.
And that alone carried weight.
---
In Zarek’s residence, one of his n had barely finished delivering the report before silence settled heavily across the room.
Zarek sat lazily against the sofa at first, one arm resting along the side while he listened. But the mont he heard that their father was personally overseeing the preparations himself, sothing dark flickered across his expression.
"Personally?" he repeated slowly.
"Yes, Your Highness," the man answered carefully. "It seems His Majesty intends for the banquet to be extrely grand."
Zarek’s jaw tightened faintly. Then he let out a soft laugh a mont later, but there was no amusent in it.
"Of course, he would go to such great lengths," he murmured.
No matter how difficult Alexander beca... no matter how unstable... no matter how much trouble he caused, their father still chose him, still protected him, and still placed him above everyone else.
A bitter feeling stirred quietly in Zarek’s chest despite the fact that he was the one who instigated the birthday banquet.
But quickly, he crushed his emotions down. His gaze darkened slightly as he leaned back again.
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