"Pardon?" Lancelot asked, blinking as if unsure whether he'd heard the king correctly.
"I said," Heinz repeated, sharper this time, "make them leave. Then bring the knights... and the butterfly... here."
His tone was calm. Controlled. But beneath it was an unmistakable undercurrent of restrained fury.
His gaze snapped back to Lancelot, voice edged with steel. "Lancelot. You are to make sure every single princess stays confined to her chambers. Deploy knights to stand guard at each of their doors. But... do it quietly. No one is to know. Not the servants. Not the court. Not anyone. Not even Drizelous."
'Fuck. Drizelous... I wonder how he'd take the news.' Florian thought with a frown.
Then Heinz's eyes flicked toward the group of princesses. The weight of his stare was suffocating. Cold. Unforgiving.
Everyone flinched under it—except for Alexandria, who stood there unnervingly still. Almost as if...she had nothing to fear.
