That evening, as the soft golden light from the setting sun bathed the stone corridors of the palace in warmth, Seraphina walked silently, deep in thought. The earlier encounter with the young boy—Prince Aven—still lingered in her mind. There was something cold in the crown prince's tone when he had spoken to his cousin, and it hadn't gone unnoticed.
"Why would Kael act so harshly toward a child? Especially one clearly related to him..." she wondered, furrowing her brows.
Just as she turned the corner of the west corridor, she caught sight of a familiar tall figure with a long coat draped elegantly around his shoulders—Lord Thorne, Kael's ever-composed and sharp-eyed personal adviser.
Without thinking, she called out, "Lord Thorne!"
Her voice echoed through the quiet corridor. Lord Thorne turned with an arched brow and a faint smirk on his lips.
"Is there anything I can help you with, Lady Vale?" he asked, the usual playful gleam in his eyes present as always.
Seraphina quickly approached him, brushing back a loose strand of hair. "Actually, yes. I had an odd encounter earlier today and… I was hoping you could help me understand it."
Lord Thorne's expression subtly shifted at her serious tone. "What sort of encounter?"
She recounted the earlier incident in the study—the arrival of the purple-haired boy, Kael's cold warning, and the boy's sudden anger.
For a brief moment, the smile vanished from Thorne's face. A shadow of something unspoken passed through his eyes. But it was gone in a blink, replaced once more by his usual composed expression.
"I see," he said, folding his arms. "Have you ever heard of the history between Our Nation Aurelis and the kingdom of Velmire?"
Seraphina blinked. "Only vaguely. I know they've been rivals for a long time."
Thorne nodded slowly. "Then let me fill in the rest. Back when the crown prince's grandfather was Emperor, there was a long-standing rivalry between these two nations. Eventually, peace talks were established… through a marriage pact."
"Marriage pact?" Seraphina echoed.
"Yes. Princess Liora—Kael's beloved aunt—was married off to the second prince of Velmire Soren. At first, their union was peaceful. She bore him a son—Aven. But everything crumbled when Princess Liora died giving birth."
Seraphina's eyes widened slightly. "That's… tragic."
"It became worse," Thorne continued, his voice lower now. "The prince of Velmire didn't even attend her funeral. Within a week, he remarried—this time to the daughter of a powerful Velmirian duke. It was a political move, nothing more. But for Kael's father—then the new Emperor—it was a slap in the face."
Seraphina felt a chill as Thorne's tone hardened.
"The Emperor declared war on Velmire again. He personally led the siege that destroyed their palace and executed both the prince and his new wife along with the empress of Valmire."
Her breath hitched. "That's..."
"Aven, the boy you met, was just a baby. He was brought back here to Aurelis and raised as Kael's cousin. But he's not entirely like us." Thorne's eyes flickered with something unreadable. "The people of Velmire… they possess mystical powers. Aven, unfortunately, inherited the ability to control surrounding objects—and after years of mistreatment under his stepmother before she died, he developed an instinctive fear of women."
Seraphina's heart clenched. "So that's why…"
"Yes," Thorne said quietly. "He doesn't mean to harm, but he lashes out when afraid. And Kael, knowing this, may have reacted sharply to protect you. Not just as his aide… but perhaps something more."
Seraphina lowered her gaze, unsure of how to respond to that last part.
Velmire. War. Bloodlines. Powers. There were so many layers beneath the palace's golden walls—and so many scars hidden beneath the crown prince's cold gaze.
Can there be many more to this, about the people who died, or about whom, who lost his/her beloved in this war?