The palace guards thought they had seen everything.
They were wrong.
It began with a carriage.
Not a royal one.
Not a diplomatic one.
A reinforced one.
Thick metal plates. Scratches along the sides. The kind of carriage that looked less like transport and more like a confession.
It rolled to a stop at the palace gates.
The guards tensed.
One of them whispered, "Do you feel that?"
The other nodded. "Yes."
The carriage door opened.
A woman stepped out first.
She wore dark red clothing, practical boots, and a cloak that had clearly been repaired multiple times after violent encounters. Her posture was relaxed — too relaxed — like someone who had never been afraid of anything in her life.
She scanned the area.
Left.
Right.
Roof.
"Clear," she said.
A man followed her out.
Broader. Taller. Scar across his jaw. He smiled cheerfully at the guards while adjusting the straps of several concealed weapons.
"Hello!" he said warmly. "We're here to see our daughter."
The guards froze.
"…Which daughter?"
The woman tilted her head. "Elira."
Silence.
Then one guard whispered, "Oh no."
Aerin was in the council chamber when the shouting started.
Not angry shouting.
Excited shouting.
"I AM ADOPTED," Elira's voice echoed through the halls.
Aerin looked up sharply. "What?"
Mira blinked. "That would explain some things."
Elira burst into the chamber at a sprint, face glowing.
"THEY'RE HERE."
Aerin stood. "Who?"
"My parents."
The room went very still.
"…You have parents?" Aerin asked.
Elira frowned. "Yes?"
"I just assumed you emerged from violence," Aerin admitted.
"That is fair."
Mira stood calmly. "Are they… safe?"
Elira nodded enthusiastically. "Mostly."
The doors opened.
Elira's mother entered first.
She took one look at Aerin.
Then Mira.
Then the guards.
Then the exits.
"You look alive," she said to Elira.
Elira nodded proudly. "I am married."
The woman's eyes sharpened instantly.
"To which one?"
Elira pointed at Aerin.
Her mother stared at him.
Long.
Intensely.
Aerin felt like he was being assessed for weaknesses, bone density, and moral worth simultaneously.
"You hurt her," the woman said calmly, "and I will peel you."
Aerin swallowed. "That seems… fair?"
Elira beamed. "This is my mother."
The man stepped forward, smiling broadly.
"And I'm her father!" he said cheerfully. "We brought gifts."
He dropped a heavy sack on the table.
It clanged.
Mira tilted her head. "Is that—"
"Poison," the father said proudly. "And knives. Some poison on knives."
Elira gasped. "You remembered!"
Aerin stared. "This explains everything."
They insisted on dinner.
This was not optional.
The dining hall was cleared. Guards posted everywhere. Several nobles fainted upon seeing Elira's parents sharpening cutlery during the meal.
Elira's mother examined Mira carefully.
"You're calm," she said.
"Yes," Mira replied.
"…Suspiciously calm."
Mira smiled politely. "I find screaming inefficient."
The mother nodded. "I like her."
Elira clapped.
Her father leaned toward Aerin. "So. King."
"Yes," Aerin replied nervously.
"You good to our girl?"
"I try very hard," Aerin said honestly.
The father grinned. "Good. Because if not—"
The mother finished, "—we'll burn your enemies and blame the weather."
Elira nodded approvingly.
Valessara entered late.
Of course she did.
The moment she stepped inside, Elira's parents looked up.
The room chilled.
Elira's mother's smile vanished.
"…I don't like you," she said calmly.
Valessara stiffened. "Excuse me?"
"You smell like manipulation," the father added helpfully.
Valessara forced a smile. "And you are…?"
"Elira's parents," Elira said brightly. "They're proud of me."
Valessara's eyes flicked between them.
Then to Aerin.
Then to Cassian.
Something calculating sparked behind her gaze.
"Charming," Valessara said. "A whole family of—"
Elira's mother leaned forward slightly.
"Finish that sentence," she invited.
Valessara did not.
Later that night, Elira sat between her parents in the garden.
"I did not stab today," she announced proudly.
Her mother smiled. "Good."
Her father nodded. "Restraint is strength."
Elira beamed.
Aerin watched from a distance with Mira.
"They're terrifying," he whispered.
Mira nodded calmly. "But they love her."
Aerin smiled. "That explains why she's trying so hard."
From the shadows above, Valessara observed the reunion.
Her fingers curled.
Elira was no longer alone.
And that made her dangerous in an entirely new way.
The Harem Alarm chimed — not chaotic.
Protective.
The board had changed.
And Valessara was no longer playing against a king.
She was playing against a family.