"Your Imperial Highness!" A man wrapped in a dark cloak entered the room through the window.
Soren had been preparing to attend dinner with the Emperor and the Empress. They had also invited Zayden and his son, whom they had been eager to meet for quite some time. Their schedules had never aligned, and Zayden always found excuses not to bring the child, insisting he was too young to see how the palace worked.
"What is it?" The red-haired young man turned as the servants continued buttoning his dark shirt embroidered with silver thread.
The man remained silent, sensing the many eyes fixed on him.
Soren sighed and dismissed the servants.
They bowed respectfully before leaving the room.
"Speak now."
It wasn’t the kind of tone Soren usually used with his attendants.
"Are you really going to be like this to me?" the man groaned, pulling down his hood, his dark hair catching the golden glow of the candles in the hall. His pointed ears twitched slightly under the unusual warmth of the room. "It’s so hot in here," he grumbled, shaking his head.
Soren said nothing, simply glaring at his friend—Dion.
Dion was Hannah’s youngest son, Diana’s younger brother, and Soren’s closest friend since his own brother’s death. During childhood, they had barely exchanged a word. However, that one loss had brought them closer, bound by the shared grief of losing someone they both loved.
"Your fiancé has arrived in Revhara. Did he not tell you?"
Soren didn’t answer. He turned toward the mirror and picked up a comb, gently running it through his soft, fluffy hair.
"Why would he tell me?.." He sighed. "You know very well he doesn’t want this engagement in the first place."
Dion clenched his fists, puffing his cheeks like a child who couldn’t bear hearing his father being insulted. After all, this was an insult to the Imperial Crown Prince!
"B-But why not? You are the future Emperor!.."
Soren only shrugged. He had received a letter that said: Why did you agree to this relationship? You know very well we could never be together.
But he hadn’t been able to answer. What was he supposed to say anyway? It hadn’t been his decision in the first place. He had to do whatever benefited his empire, even if it meant a marriage without love—without trust.
"Break it off, Your Imperial Highness."
Soren’s brows furrowed.
"Pardon?"
"Break off the engagement if it makes you sad."
The red-haired man chuckled, as if Dion had said something amusing, leaving the other looking perplexed.
Gently wiping the teardrop from the corner of his eye, Soren turned. His hair was now perfectly combed atop his head, with a few soft strands falling over his forehead. He fixed his glasses before getting up.
"Dion, I can’t act on pure emotion. It would be better if I simply didn’t have any." He stepped toward the door. "For anyone at all," he added quietly, almost to himself.
Dion sighed, folding his arms as he watched the Imperial Crown Prince walk away. The door closed behind the omega, leaving the young man alone in the vast, empty hall. It contained countless prized decorations; however, without Soren’s presence, the room felt no different than a desert.
"Maybe I shouldn’t have told him..." Dion leaned his head back, slapping his palm against his forehead.
He simply couldn’t hide anything from Soren. The moment he learned something new, he felt an uncontrollable urge to report it to him. That habit had formed during the war—back when information about enemies and spies could change everything.
Now that it was no longer about battlefields and politics, he found himself informing the Crown Prince about nobles and their gossip instead—something Soren surprisingly listened to, even if he never admitted enjoying it.
"I need to know what my people think to be able to rule," Soren would say. "Including their private lives," he would add after a pause.
And every single time, Dion would burst into laughter, teasing him, "How caring. But, tell me honestly. You secretly like the gossip, don’t you?"
But Soren wouldn’t answer, glaring at him to shut him up.
***
"THE IMPERIAL CROWN PRINCE HAS ARRIVED!" one of the guards announced. Most of the time, they were instructed not to shout unless it was an event where a lot of people were invited.
The large doors of the dining hall opened, and Soren stepped inside, finding his family members already seated at the table.
Around the long table, the Emperor sat at one end, with the Empress at the other. Beside the Emperor sat the Queen Consort.
"Oh." He gasped softly, realizing that Zayden, Eiran, and Ren had not yet arrived. He wanted to rest; however, he was called to the court right away.
Some commoners had been fighting over a piece of land. Usually, the guards handled such matters, but the matter still couldn’t be solved, resulting in the Emperor having to judge the issue himself.
Hearing the long briefing, Soren almost fell asleep. Then, Zayden was called, and an unexpected family dinner had been prepared. Even if the Empress called it a tea time, it was obvious she simply wanted to flaunt her new chef to the Emperor, who refused to believe there could be a better cook than the one in his palace.
They have grown so old, yet they fight over such trivial matters...
The Crown Prince shook his head in disbelief. Although his younger brother was unaware of all these matters since he didn’t reside in the palace.
"That bastard," the Emperor grumbled. "When will he understand that time is precious?"
Soren smiled faintly and took a seat across from Leon, who simply shrugged when their eyes met.
"Your Imperial Majesty, that is no way to call your son. I am certain he was caught up in something," the Empress said, glaring at her husband while flapping her fan vigorously. Whenever something displeased her, that was her way of showing it.
The Emperor coughed, as if clearing his throat.
"I was simply stating—"
"Stating that our Zayden is never on time?" Leon interjected, tilting his head slightly.
The Emperor’s eyes narrowed while Soren struggled to hold back a laugh. Even if others disliked Leon’s boldness, Soren knew he secretly adored him for it—especially whenever Leon sided with the Empress against him.
That, of course, was limited to family matters. The two never interfered in politics, much less opposed the ruler himself.
"That is not!—"
Before he could finish, the Emperor was interrupted by the guards’ who announced Zayden’s arrival.