"The king wishes to see you immediately," Robin continued, straightening.
"He's... rather urgent about it."
Kael exhaled. "Of course he is. Let's go."
And with that, they stepped into the silent halls of power.
Kael moved swiftly through the corridor, his cloak trailing behind him.
Yue's words echoed in his mind — "I'm already on my way."
He turned a corner, intending to head straight for the audience chamber — but stopped.
Through the open archway to the royal garden, he spotted movement.
Steel glinted in the morning light.
Elara.
The princess was locked in a duel.
Kael stepped toward the scene, his curiosity overriding his urgency.
Robin reached out to stop him. "Lord Kael, we don't have time—"
Kael ignored him. Robin hesitated, then followed.
As Kael drew closer, he saw who Elara was fighting.
Her brother.
The Crown Prince.
Neither held back. Blades met with the weight of something heavier than practice — pride, history, perhaps something deeper.
