The warm hush of midday blanketed Magili estate, its silence broken only by soft laughter and breathless whispers echoing behind the velvet curtains of the lord's chamber. Sunlight filtered through gauzy fabric, drawing soft golden patterns across Kiara's bare skin as she lay curled against Tando's chest, their limbs still tangled, their breaths slow, warm, and intimate.
"You always smell like honey and war," Kiara whispered, nuzzling the curve of his jaw.
Tando chuckled low in his throat. "I've never even seen war, love."
"Then it must be the honey," she teased, pressing a kiss to his collarbone. "Still… you have a soldier's grip."
"Lucky for you," he murmured, flipping her gently onto her back, drawing a smile from her lips. "Do you know how hard it is to focus when you're underneath me?"
"I wasn't trying to help you focus."
Their laughter filled the room, soft and lazy, until a sharp knock startled them both.
Tando sighed dramatically, resting his forehead against hers. "If that's not death, it's got terrible timing."
"My Lord," came the muffled voice of a servant, "a letter… from the Imperial Palace."
Kiara groaned. "The Emperor would write now."
Tando rolled off her, wrapping himself in a silk robe and muttering under his breath about timing and ruined mornings. Kiara remained beneath the sheets, watching him with a content smile as he opened the door and retrieved the scroll with the golden seal.
As he read it, his expression shifted from amusement to curiosity.
"What is it?" Kiara asked, sitting up, the sheet slipping from her shoulder.
He handed it to her. "Read for yourself."
She scanned the elegant handwriting.
"To the noble members of the Royal House:
Your presence is required at the coronation of the new King of Lamig.
We depart in a fortnight.
— Emperor Arvin"
She blinked, brows furrowed. "Oh… I'm going to miss you."
Tando glanced up, puzzled. "Miss me?"
She sighed, waving the letter. "Well… you're going, and it's not like everyone gets to be around all the Royal family and i am just—"
"You are my wife," Tando interrupted, walking back toward her. "And you're part of this family now, Kiara. You're going with me."
Her mouth parted slightly. "Oh." Then her eyes widened. "Ohhh."
A grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. "You forgot."
"I didn't forget," she said, flustered. "I just… temporarily misplaced the information."
He burst out laughing and cupped her face. "You're hopeless."
She leaned into his touch. "And you love it."
"I do," he whispered before kissing her, slow and sweet.
When they finally pulled apart, Kiara's excitement bubbled over. "We're really going back to Taico?"
"Tonight," Tando confirmed, brushing her hair back. "We'll join the others in preparing from there."
Kiara lit up like a summer morning. "I'll see Gina… and Mirha! I haven't seen them in moons!"
"Your face just brightened like a lamp," he said fondly.
"I want to write to them—"
"No," he said, pulling her gently back against him. "Let's surprise them. Besides, I want you to myself until we get there."
She melted into his chest, heart thudding with joy and anticipation.
Tando held her close, burying his face in her hair. "It's going to be a long journey."
"Then we better savor this moment," she whispered, and the room was quiet again—filled with soft smiles, heartbeats, and the golden promise of what was to come.
The Queen Mother's Letter
The Kamaya sun spilled warm light across the palace courtyard, where Queen Mother Raina sat nestled under a flowering jacaranda tree. The scent of blooming citrus and gardenias perfumed the air as the distant laughter of noble children echoed off the marble walkways. A tea set steamed beside her, untouched, its aroma mingling with the afternoon breeze.
Lord Kaisen reclined across from her, lounging with a grace only earned through years of courtly etiquette. The youngest brother of Duke Rnzo and Lord Tando, Kaisen had remained in Kamaya since Tando's wedding, a self-imposed retreat from the capital's endless motion. As the Empire's Trade Minister, he'd earned the brief pause—but his eyes never truly rested.
"You always choose the spot where the sun hits just right," Kaisen said, half-amused as he leaned back and squinted up at the sky. "Is this a Queen Mother's intuition, or just a well-studied map of the garden?"
Raina smiled without turning to him. "It's age, my dear. You begin to chase warmth like it's owed to you."
Before he could answer, the soft shuffle of boots on gravel approached. A royal messenger bowed deeply, scroll in hand, bearing the silver crest of the Imperial Seal.
"Message from His Majesty, for Her Highness the Queen Mother."
Raina raised a brow and reached for the scroll. "Arvin? Already? What does he want now, a poem?"
Kaisen chuckled. "If he does, make him earn it. He owes me a shipment report."
Raina unfurled the letter, her eyes scanning the parchment. Her expression shifted slowly—an arch of the brow, the faintest smirk pulling at her lips.
"Well?" Kaisen prompted, taking a sip of his now-lukewarm tea. "Is it good or bad?"
"He wants me in Taico," she said simply.
Kaisen raised a brow. "Official summons?"
"Family gathering," she answered, though the way she said it carried more weight than her tone let on. "'Heman will arrive in three days to escort you personally. Also, this trip may catch your interest.'" She read the last part aloud, her smirk now fully formed. "He knows how to bait me."
Kaisen laughed, the sound deep and easy. "He's not wrong. Mystery is your greatest weakness."
She narrowed her eyes playfully. "Watch yourself, nephew. You're growing bold."
"I've been in your company too long," he teased. "The boldness is catching."
Raina set the letter down beside her tea and leaned back against the silk cushions. "He's clever, my Arvin. Knows I don't like being ordered around, so he dresses commands like invitations. I taught him well."
"Are you going?" Kaisen asked.
"I suppose I must," she sighed, though there was no reluctance in her voice. "With the whole family gathering... and Nailah nearing her fifth month, it will be nice to see how things are holding together. Not that anyone tells me the whole truth."
"You mean, not that anyone dares tell you the whole truth," Kaisen corrected, grinning.
Raina gave a regal laugh, then glanced over at him, eyes glinting. "You'll come with me, of course."
"I assumed as much," Kaisen replied with mock weariness. "Tando gets a bride, Rnzo gets a duchy, and I get... escort duty."
Raina's eyes softened. "You're more useful than the both of them combined, you know."
"I know," he said lightly. "But it's nice to hear it aloud."
Raina leaned forward, brushing imaginary dust off her lap. "Start packing. We leave in three days."
Kaisen stood, offering her his hand with a dramatic bow. "As you command, Your Majesty."
"Oh, hush," she chuckled. "Save the charm for when we get to Taico. I have a feeling you'll need it."
Letter To Kilimah Estate,
The Kilimah Estate bore the weight of its master's silence. Towering stone walls framed a courtyard where blades clashed—not in battle, but in practice. General Kian moved like a storm contained, sparring with two soldiers at once. His strikes were precise, merciless, and far too fast for either man to keep up.
When he dismissed them with a grunt, sweat dripping from his brow, a messenger approached cautiously, scroll in hand. The soldier bowed low, but didn't speak. He didn't have to.
Kian took the scroll, cracked the seal, and read silently. His jaw flexed.
> Brother,
This letter serves as a formal request to assign extra security during the journey to Lamig. With the entire royal family attending, I want no openings. But beyond the duties—this is me asking as Arvin, not Emperor.
I would value your presence on this trip. I know you're not fond of ceremonies, but your silence beside me would still speak louder than any words in that hall.
It's been too long, Kian.
– Arvin
Kian read it twice.
His thumb lingered at the bottom of the parchment, where his younger brother's name was scrawled—not as emperor, not as command, but as kin.
He exhaled through his nose, folding the letter with one hand and tucking it into his belt.
"Damn, this Emperor" he muttered, almost fondly.
His gaze drifted across the yard toward the barracks where men trained under his command—men he had forged from dust and defiance. But even iron needs fire to hold shape, and the bond between brothers—no matter how dented—had never truly broken.
Kian rolled his shoulder, the scar on his collarbone stinging like a memory.
"Prepare a security detail," he ordered the aide who stood nearby. "The Emperor wants extra eyes."
"Yes, General. Will you be traveling with them?"
Kian turned toward the estate's edge, eyes narrowing on the horizon as if Lamig could already be seen beyond it.
"Vino, you owe me big time for this".
The air inside the Imperial Castle was thick with incense and the subtle scent of freshly polished wood. The corridors hummed with quiet urgency, preparations for the Lamig journey already stirring the household. Duke Rnzo stood just outside the Emperor's study, arms folded, leaning against a carved pillar, looking as though he owned the entire castle.
The door opened, and Arvin stepped out, looking every bit the emperor—composed, dignified, but with weariness written in the way his shoulders fell.
"Rnzo," he greeted, voice firm but familiar.
"Arvin??," Rnzo drawled, straightening up. "You look like a man halfway buried in responsibility."
Arvin smirked faintly. "Not halfway. Fully."
He gestured for Rnzo to join him back in the study. Inside, the room smelled of parchment and cedar. The maps were rolled, letters stacked, and yet Arvin set everything aside the moment Rnzo sat across from him.
"You are to come to Lamig," Arvin said simply.
"I figured as much," Rnzo replied, resting an arm over the back of the chair. "You're dragging the whole royal herd, aren't you?"
Arvin didn't smile, but his voice was lighter. "It'll be the first time in years we're all under one roof. I won't lie—I could use you there."
Rnzo tilted his head slightly, smiling. " as a spectators, of course. but only if I can bring Gina."
Arvin met his gaze. "Done."
"Good," Rnzo said, rising. "I have no interest in feasting with strangers and dancing with ghosts. Gina keeps me sane." He turned to the door, then paused, glancing back. " there are alot of ladies dying to have this, i have to show them I'm taken."
" What a narcissists " Arvin muttered.
" its undeniable. " Rnzo said dramatically. " You know its true"
With that, he walked out, leaving Arvin in the quiet, one corner of the emperor's mouth lifting—perhaps the closest thing to comfort he'd felt all day.
The soft rustling of leaves filled the courtyard outside the women's quarters, where Gina sat by the window, absently running her fingers along the spine of a book she hadn't read in days. The spring breeze was gentle, but she felt no peace in it. Her thoughts wandered—as they had ever since the match. Ever since she collapsed.
And ever since she woke to see him—not the smiling, teasing Rnzo she'd slowly grown used to, but a man with eyes colder than marble, jaw tight as steel. He hadn't spoken much then. Hadn't stayed long. And the silence between them had grown louder since.
A knock echoed against the wooden doorframe.
Gina sat up, startled.
Before she could rise, a figure stepped in—tall, straight, commanding. Duke Rnzo.
He looked well, almost too well. Dressed in black with silver trimming, his presence filled the room the way storms claim the sky—calm, yet charged.
"You're awake," he said, eyes scanning her from head to toe, as if to confirm for himself that she was still in one piece.
"I've been awake," Gina replied quietly, standing to greet him.
There was a pause. He didn't move toward her. Just... looked.
"I see you're well," he finally added.
She met his eyes, searching for that warmth she'd known before, but found only a carefully controlled calm. "Yes," she said softly. "Better, thanks to Mirha."
He nodded once. "Good."
Then without preamble: "You'll accompany me to Lamig in a few.days' time."
Gina blinked. "I—what?"
"The coronation of Prince Kalan," he stated. "I've received orders. The royal family will attend, and so will we."
"We?" she echoed, stunned. "But… I'm not part of the royal family. I'm not even your wife yet."
Her voice trembled just a little, but she stood straight. "Surely, it wouldn't be appropriate."
Rnzo's gaze sharpened. "I didn't say it was a request."
Her breath hitched, and for a moment, she saw it again—that coldness. That steel beneath the man she thought she was coming to know.
"I'm not refusing," she said, voice low but steady. "I'm only saying… if you plan to drag me to a royal event where I could be seen as an embarrassment to your name, you might at least let me bring someone."
His brow arched. "And who would make you brave enough to say that to me?"
She swallowed, her hands clenched at her sides. "Mirha."
Rnzo's eyes lingered on her—on the way her chest rose with each uneasy breath, the way she held her ground despite the nerves flickering behind her eyes. A lesser woman might've folded. Gina stood, fragile but unyielding.
He smirked.
"Fine. Mirha can come," he said, voice dipped in amusement. "If that's what it takes to keep you from fainting again."
Her eyes flared. "That's not—"
But he was already turning away.
"You should pack," he said over his shoulder. "We leave soon ."
Gina said nothing. She refused to let him see the mix of relief and confusion on her face. She kept it neutral—stoic. As if his words hadn't rattled something inside her.
But Rnzo paused at the door.
He looked back at her—eyes unreadable now. Not cold. Just... unreadable. Then this time he left.
The sun had dipped low, setting the sky ablaze with streaks of gold and fire. The warm orange hue spilled across the stone walls of Taico Palace, casting long shadows through the garden courtyards and corridors.
The evening air buzzed with the usual rhythm—servants lighting lanterns, musicians tuning lyres from the distant west wing, and ladies-in-waiting softly chatting as they wrapped up their duties.
Gina and Mirha sat beneath the arched terrace, sorting through bolts of fabric that had just arrived for the Empress's wardrobe. Laughter passed between them like a thread. Gina had been quieter since the Rnzo encounter, but Mirha had a way of gently bringing her back into the light.
Suddenly, the quiet was broken by the sound of trumpets—not too loud, but clear. A formal announcement.
A guard's voice rang out, "Announcing the arrival of Lord Tando, and Lady Kiara of Magili!"
Gina's head jerked up, eyes wide.
Mirha's jaw parted, her fingers pausing mid-fold on a piece of deep indigo silk.
"No way," Gina whispered. "Kiara?"
"Kiara's here?" Mirha said, already rising to her feet.
They didn't wait for permission. Like two leaves caught in a sudden breeze, they bolted from the terrace and down the steps toward the entrance hall.
The grand doors were being opened just as the twilight cloaked the palace gates. There, framed by the gold trim and fading daylight, stood Lord Tando—broad-shouldered in a deep brown cloak, eyes amused beneath thick lashes.
And beside him, arm-in-arm, was Kiara.