Episode 3 – Tea and Secrets
[The Prince’s Private Study – Late Afternoon]
The study smelled faintly of cedarwood and tea leaves. Sunlight filtered in through the tall windows, painting warm streaks across the polished desk.
Alaric sat in a high-backed chair, a porcelain teacup resting in his hands. Across from him, Kael stood by the wall, as still and watchful as a shadow.
Crown Prince Alaric
“You didn’t come here to stand like a statue,” Alaric said without looking up.
Commander Kael
“You summoned me, Your Highness. I assumed you had something important to discuss.”
Crown Prince Alaric
“I do,” Alaric replied, finally meeting his gaze.
He gestured to the chair across from him.
Crown Prince Alaric
“Sit.”
Kael hesitated—then obeyed, lowering himself into the seat with an ease that made him seem out of place in the quiet elegance of the study.
Alaric poured a second cup of tea, sliding it across the table.
Crown Prince Alaric
“You didn’t have to intercept that attack so directly,”
Kael took the cup but didn’t drink.
Commander Kael
“If I hadn’t, you’d be dead. I thought that was my job.”
Alaric’s eyes narrowed slightly.
Crown Prince Alaric
“And yet, you move like someone who’s done this more times than you admit.”
For a moment, Kael said nothing. His gaze dropped to the swirling surface of the tea.
Commander Kael
“I’ve spent half my life protecting people who didn’t deserve it. You’re… different.”
Alaric leaned back in his chair, studying him.
Crown Prince Alaric
“Different how?”
Kael’s lips curved faintly.
Commander Kael
“You pretend to be untouchable, but I’ve seen the way you hide your hand when it trembles. I’ve seen how you keep everyone at arm’s length… and yet you let me stand close.”
The air in the room seemed to grow heavier.
Alaric felt something in his chest tighten—but before he could reply, Kael set the teacup down, the faint clink echoing in the silence.
Commander Kael
“One day,” Kael murmured, “I’ll tell you why I’m really here. But not yet.”
Alaric’s gaze didn’t waver.
Crown Prince Alaric
“Then until that day… I’ll be watching you just as closely as you watch me.”
A ghost of a smile touched Kael’s lips.
Commander Kael
“Fair enough, Your Highness.”
Outside, the sun dipped lower, casting long shadows across the room—shadows that hid truths neither of them was ready to speak aloud.
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