About ten minutes later, the king's voice drifted in from the corridor.
Elara wiped her cheeks quickly and straightened in her seat. Brandon followed, settling back into stillness.
The doors opened.
Both of them turned.
The king stepped inside.
His eyes found Elara immediately—too steady, too soft—and Brandon looked away at once.
He crossed the chamber and sat beside his moon princess.
Elara shifted closer before he could fully settle, letting her shoulder rest against him.
His hand came up on instinct, rubbing slow circles along her upper arm.
"Princess, are you alright?" the king asked, voice even.
"I'm fine, Father," Elara said without looking at him.
His gaze lingered a second. "Then what is it?"
"I'll talk to you later."
"Alright."
The chamber settled again.
The inner doors opened.
The High Luna stepped out and took her seat like she hadn't been gone at all. Her eyes moved over the chamber once—slow, measured—then landed on Brandon and stayed there.
