X- indentRunaël stiffened at the fae woman’s words, his brow arching as he fixed her with a steady, unreadable stare. A moment of silence stretched between them, thick with unspoken tension. Then, his lips parted, his voice deceptively smooth, “Really? Is that so? You’d threaten my guard?” The words carried no outward anger, but there was an edge beneath them, sharp as a blade gliding over silk. He took a step forward—not threatening, not intimidating, but that wasn’t the point. An intense regality rolled off him in waves as he clasped his hands behind his back, “Of course, I won’t apologize for him. Would your prince apologize for you? Would he demand you apologize? Hm?” A flicker of something crossed the woman’s expression, though whether it was anger, calculation, or both, Runaël could not yet tell. Wrellahn let out a low growl at the slight, hating that he had put his prince in this position, “You’ll not speak to him in that tone.” Wrellahn’s protectiveness was not unexpected and he did understand it, but the situation was already tense as it was. His sharp eyes flicked to his knight, a warning embedded in the glance alone. Before Wrellahn or the woman could push further, Cyrelas held up a hand, silently commanding his second to stand down. Gritting his teeth at his betrothed’s tone, Runaël dug his nails into the soft flesh of his palm beneath his gloves, an old trick to tether himself to patience, with a diplomatic smile on his face, “Understandable. Training with my father begins promptly at dawn. Goodnight, Prince Cyrelas, and to you as well my lady.” As soon as they turned and walked away, the tension drained from his face, replaced by something paler, more vulnerable. His gaze flickered to Venus, catching the way she seized the chance to soothe the tension. He let out a quiet breath before he murmured, “Never have truer words been spoken, Lady Venus…”
indentWrellahn, still unsettled, flinched slightly as the Winter fae addressed him. He hesitated, eyes darting to the side, reluctant to meet hers directly, “Thank you… my lady.” He reached for his drink and downed it in one swift motion before grabbing another, his cheeks dusted a faint pink, “Yes, well, someone ought to have. He lacks manners… ” Runaël huffed a soft laugh, shaking his head as he sipped from his own chalice, “I know you are not speaking about someone else’s manners right now, Wrellahn Eyndris.”The knight only grumbled under his breath, but there was no real bite to it. The prince sighed before another long sip from his chalice,“Fantastic, looking forward to it…” Runaël turned his attention back to Venus, his expression softening, “Lady Venus, you have no need to apologize to me. You have done nothing wrong. I appreciate your kindness and, if anything, I owe you an apology. I should not have dragged you into that. I am deeply sorry.” He bowed his head in genuine regret before lifting his gaze once more, “Someone else amongst us does owe me an apology, however. And he best be quick about it, because he knows I won’t hesitate to put a broken egg in his bed until he does.”
Before he could utter his expected apology, a voice from behind them cut through the noise around them.
indentWrellahn stiffened, immediately recognizing the speaker even before he turned to look and inwardly rolled his eyes. His eyes narrowed slightly as the crown prince strode in close to Lady Venus’s side, a knowing smirk playing at his lips. The gleam in the eyes of Summer’s Crown Princes was unmistakable—mischief, amusement, and just a touch of smugness, “You and your damn brother…” Wrellahn didn’t dislike the Summer princes—friendly as they were—but he didn’t like them either. For all their charm and affability, they carried an air of perpetual mischief, of never taking things seriously. And despite being several years older than Prince Runaël, and by extension himself and Princess Anaëa, they carried themselves with far less restraint. Worse still, they had an uncanny ability to encourage Runaël’s already reckless tendencies. Not that his prince needed much encouragement.
A warm, teasing smile curled at Runaël’s lips, “Well, if you two are having a good time, then we must be doing something right.” His gaze trailed upward as Aesos moved to his twin’s side, “Good evening.” There had always been something effortless about his interactions with the twin princes of the Summer Court. From the moment they had met, when Runaël had been barely seven summers old, they had never once had treated him as though he were made of glass.The princes were good fun and, of course, massive flirts. He was so engrossed in their conversation that he almost missed Lady Venus excusing herself. He smiled gently at her, “My lady, you have my permission to excuse yourself as you please. You need not fret over formalities with me.” He paused, before adding, “You should join me tomorrow to observe the training session—if you would like to, that is.” His brows shot up as he caught the expression in her eyes just as she turned her attention to his knight. The moment realization dawned, Runaël barely suppressed a giggle as Wrellahn’s cheeks and the pointed tips of his ears reddened. His brows shot up as he caught the expression in her eyes just before she turned her attention to his knight. The moment realization dawned, Runaël barely suppressed a giggle, “See? I told you people found you attractive. You just never believe me.” His knight shot him a withering glare before elbowing him in the ribs. Runaël simply grinned, watching as Lady Venus disappeared into the crowd. Aesos reached over then, gently pinching Runaël’s cheek before tilting his chin with two fingers.
indent“Little blossom,” the prince purred, amusement dancing in his eyes, “I hope that that stick in the mud—don’t worry, Wrellahn, I don’t mean you for once—and his little crow haven’t hurt your feelings.” Runaël chuckled softly, placing a calming hand on his knight’s shoulder as the elder twin snorted beside him. He lifted his chalice, taking a slow sip before murmuring, “They haven’t hurt my feelings…” It wasn’t entirely a lie. The woman—whose name he still wasn’t sure of—hadn’t hurt his feelings at all. Her words about Wrellahn had irritated him, but he knew Wrellahn had been the one instigating in the first place. His betrothed, on the other hand… Well, at least he finally knew what the man sounded like. Wrellahn stood stiffly at his side, a scowl etched on his face, “I won’t apologize to them. He disrespected you.” The princes of Summer snickered into their chalices as Runaël sighed. “As I said, I won’t make you apologize to them. But I told you it was fine, and you should have listened to me and left it at that. I understand why you did it, but he doesn’t come from a court like ours. We are lucky he isn’t calling for your dismissal—or worse, your head.” The elder of the twins smirked, both glancing over Wrellahn with undisguised appreciation, “And what a fine head it is. To lose it would be a great loss to us all.” Wrellahn groaned, tilting his head back as he drained the last of his ale.
indentWrellahn let out a slow, frustrated exhale as he set his empty chalice down a bit too forcefully, the faintest clink of metal on glass drawing the attention of a few nearby courtiers. He ignored them, casting a sideways glance at the three princes, their matching smirks grating against his patience. “You should work on that temper of yours, Wrellahn,” Aesos mused, swirling the wine in his goblet, “It’s unbecoming of a knight, especially one so handsome.” Asseir, chuckled, nudging his brother with his shoulder, “Leave the poor man alone, Aes. Not everyone flirts their way through politics.” His gaze slid toward Runaël, his grin deepening, “It seems to vary from court to court. However, will you cope with a man who cannot flirt, little blossom?” Runaël groaned with a slight roll of his eyes, “Gods! No, no more! Enough of it tonight. And don’t you get him all riled up again.” Wrellahn shot him another withering glare as he crossed his arms, “I hope the General knocks him unconscious.”
