The door shut behind them.
Arin exhaled fully, sinking into the chair behind his desk.
He looked around the familiar walls, then back at Alaric.
"It feels strange," he admitted. "To be back here. Strange… but right."
Alaric gave a short nod. "That you're fine now is all that matters."
Arin studied him for a long moment, then leaned forward. "I know the regency ends at the ball. But I want you to stay here, at the palace. As my brother, my first-ranked prince, it is your place."
"No." Alaric's reply was immediate, hard.
Arin arched a brow. "No?"
"I did not ask for this position," Alaric said flatly. "My wife cherishes our home at Blake Estate. I will not snatch it from her simply because of a title."
Arin sighed, rubbing a hand over his jaw. "It isn't about the title, Ric. And you know it."
Alaric said nothing, his silence already an answer.
Arin's mouth curved wryly. "It's about Daphne."
