Time:
Night
Age: Elira – 6 years, Kael – 3
years
The palace no longer felt empty.
Elira sat by the window of her room, listening
to footsteps pass more often than before. Guards changed shifts closer than
usual. Servants bowed too carefully.
"They are watching," she whispered.
Kael nodded. "Because we broke the silence."
"I didn't mean to," Elira said.
"That doesn't matter," Kael replied. "In the
empire, being seen is enough."
A maid arrived before bedtime, her voice polite
but tense. "Second Princess, by order of the Inner Court, your daily movements
will be recorded. You will train only at assigned hours."
Elira nodded again.
When the door closed, she hugged her knees.
"Are we in danger?"
Kael shook his head. "Not yet. Confusion comes
first. Decisions come later."
She looked at him. "Was training a mistake?"
Kael met her eyes. "No. Being forgotten was
the mistake. This was inevitable."
Outside, lanterns burned late into the night.
Somewhere beyond the walls, official
spoke in low voices.
The empire was unsettled.
Two small figures—once invisible—had stepped
into its sight.
And nothing forgotten ever returns quietly.