Time:
Late Morning
Age: Elira – 6 years, Kael – 3
years
Silence ruled the garden.
Servants nearby froze, unsure whether to bow
or retreat. Guards exchanged uncertain glances. No one had expected to see
imperial children here—least of all these
children.
The Emperor stepped forward.
"Elira," he said.
She bowed clumsily but correctly. "Yes,
Father."
Kael followed, his movements neat and practiced.
The Empress Dowager studied them closely. "How
long have they been training?"
The Emperor answered quietly. "Long enough."
"With no instruction?" she asked.
Kael spoke before Elira could stop him. "We
instruct each other."
The elder princess looked at him sharply.
The Empress Dowager's lips pressed into a thin
line. "A forgotten prince and princess, sharpening blades in silence. Do you
understand how this looks?"
The Emperor did.
So did the watching palace.
Whispers had already begun to spread—soft,
confused, dangerous.
Why were imperial children hidden?
Why now?
What had been overlooked?
"This was not planned," the Emperor said
firmly. "It was coincidence."
"Coincidences create instability," the Empress
Dowager replied. "Especially when the empire sees small figures it was never
meant to notice."
Elira lowered her head. She understood only one thing clearly.
They had been seen.
"You will return to your quarters," the
Emperor said. "Both of you."
Kael nodded. Elira obeyed.
As they were led away, eyes followed
them—curious, calculating, uneasy.
The empire had remembered them.
And it did not like unanswered questions.