Chapter 78 - 078: Claim you before I do

The hunt had ended, but the air at camp carried no relief. Horses were tethered, fires coaxed back to life, servants moved briskly with water and meat—but the nobles' chatter was strained, every eye drawn now and then toward the Serathine brothers and the royal tutor caught between them. Alaric walked ahead with his usual rigid bearing, yet his silence felt heavier than armor, every step deliberate, controlled, as though he held himself by will alone. Alistair followed behind, his expression composed but his movements sharp, betraying a coiled anger that even the most careless observer could sense.