Chapter 201: Something Deeper
{Third Person}
No one answered the Queen. And she wasn’t expecting anyone to.
Her thoughts wandered back over the past several months. Then, quite suddenly, one face appeared in her mind.
Amara.
Lysandra’s expression hardened. Ever since that human girl entered the palace, nothing had gone according to plan.
Alexander had become worse. The palace had changed. Even the balance she had carefully maintained for years seemed to be collapsing piece by piece.
Lysandra’s fingers curled into fists. "It must be her." Her voice rose barely above a whisper. "She is bad luck."
The words slipped from her lips almost unconsciously.
She repeated them again, convincing herself more with every repetition. "Ever since she arrived... nothing has gone right."
Unable to bear another thought, she drew the curtains shut and walked toward her bed.
Tonight, she went to sleep on an empty stomach. The bitterness in her heart had stolen every trace of her appetite.
---
Meanwhile, in the Second Prince’s residence, the atmosphere was no better.
The servant who had delivered the news had barely finished speaking before Zarek’s temper exploded.
"What did you say?" His voice echoed through the room.
The frightened servant immediately dropped to his knees. "M-My Lord... His Majesty’s concubine has given birth to a male pup."
Zarek’s face darkened instantly. He dismissed the servant with an impatient wave before beginning to pace the room. His breathing gradually became heavier.
A son. His father had another son.
He stopped walking and laughed bitterly. "How interesting." Though his words sounded calm, his expression was anything but.
For years, he had believed time was working in his favour.
Alexander had no mate or children. Rowan had never shown any ambition toward the throne.
Everything had pointed toward him eventually becoming the most important prince after Alexander.
Now, another male heir had appeared.
The child was still a newborn, but Zarek understood palace politics well enough to know that age meant very little.
What mattered was Sebastian.
If his father grew attached to the child, if he began placing hopes on him, if he started making plans...
Zarek’s jaw tightened. He would not be surprised. Not after everything that had happened recently. His father’s attitude toward him had already changed.
Alexander remained firmly established as the Alpha Prince. Now another son had been added to the royal family.
Zarek suddenly felt as though the ground beneath his feet had become even more unstable. He slowly closed his eyes.
Things were becoming increasingly difficult, far more difficult than he had anticipated.
---
Unlike the turmoil inside the Queen’s palace and the Second Prince’s residence, Lord Rowan’s residence was unusually peaceful.
Rowan had just finished hearing the report when he quietly dismissed the servant.
Yara, who had been seated beside him, looked at him curiously. "You seem awfully calm."
Rowan smiled faintly as he picked up his cup of tea. "There isn’t much reason to be upset."
Yara laughed softly. "I expected at least a little surprise."
"There was." Rowan took a slow sip before setting the cup back down. "But only for a moment."
A quiet smile played at the corners of his lips, then he leaned back comfortably. "As one trouble prepares to leave the palace..."
Yara looked at him.
"...another one has arrived."
She blinked before realizing exactly what he meant. "The new prince?"
Rowan nodded. "Alexander moving out would have made certain people sleep peacefully for a while."
His smile widened just slightly. "But now..." He chuckled quietly. "Zarek should prepare himself to search for peace of mind for a very long time."
Yara could not help laughing. The image alone amused her. "I think you’re right." She smiled as she shook her head. "Considering the baby is a male pup, His Majesty will protect him with everything he has."
Rowan nodded in agreement. "He will."
He knew Sebastian too well to think otherwise. After everything that had happened over the years, Sebastian would never allow another son to grow up without protection.
Especially not now.
Rowan picked up his teacup once more, his expression thoughtful. "The palace is about to become much more interesting."
Yara smiled knowingly. "And much more troublesome."
Rowan simply nodded. The next moment, he found himself genuinely looking forward to seeing how certain people would handle this newest twist of fate.
He was in for the ride.
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After the palace had gradually settled into its usual calm, Mrs. Woods walked into Amara’s room carrying a neatly folded envelope.
Amara had been sitting by the window with Ginger curled comfortably on her lap. The cat lazily lifted her head when Mrs. Woods entered before settling back down again.
"My Lady." Mrs. Woods approached with a gentle smile. "This arrived not long ago."
Amara accepted the envelope, and the moment her eyes fell upon the familiar handwriting, her face lit up.
"They wrote back." The excitement in her voice came naturally.
Mrs. Woods smiled knowingly. "It seems your friends truly miss you."
Amara could not help smiling as she carefully broke the seal. Ever since returning from seeing them off, she had wondered how long it would take for their first letter to arrive. She had not expected it to come so quickly.
She unfolded the paper and immediately began reading. Her smile widened almost at once.
Her friends began by telling her that they had all arrived safely in the Human Kingdom. They wrote about how relieved their families had been to see them return home after everything that had happened during their visit to the Werewolf Kingdom.
They even mentioned that several people had been curious to hear stories about the palace and the royal family, though they had wisely avoided discussing anything that ought to remain confidential.
Amara smiled as she continued reading. The letter soon became more personal.
They wrote that everyone missed her terribly. Davina added that it had only been a few days, yet the three of them were already missing her.
That made Amara laugh softly. Some things truly never changed.
Before long, the teasing began.
The three young women reminded her that they had not forgotten the banquet before they left, nor the smile she had unknowingly given the Alpha Prince.
Hazel boldly declared that no amount of denial would convince them otherwise.
Rachel wrote that if someone protected her, cared for her, and treated her with kindness, then there was no shame in opening her heart a little.
Davina finished the thought by reminding Amara to stop being so stubborn and to cherish someone who genuinely looked after her.
Amara felt warmth creep into her cheeks. "They really don’t know when to stop."
Mrs. Woods chuckled from where she stood. "I take it they are teasing you again?"
Amara smiled helplessly. "They are." Then, she lowered her eyes and continued reading.
Toward the end of the letter, her friends told her they were already looking forward to her next letter, but this time they wanted her to write back only when she had good news to share.
Hazel even added a playful sentence beneath her signature.
"Perhaps by then you’ll finally admit how you truly feel."
Amara shook her head with an amused smile. Then her expression changed slightly as she reached the final paragraph.
Her friends mentioned hearing an interesting rumour that was already circulating in parts of the Human Kingdom.
According to what they had heard, Lila and Torin had gotten into a serious argument at a club shortly after returning home. Someone claimed the two of them had argued so loudly that nearly everyone present had stopped what they were doing to watch.
Whether the rumour was true or not, nobody seemed to know.
Amara quietly lowered the letter. A faint scoff escaped her lips. She neither felt pleased nor disappointed by the news.
Whatever had become of Lila and Torin no longer concerned her. Their choices had already led them down their own path, just as she had chosen hers.
Without another thought, she carefully folded the letter and slipped it back into its envelope.
---
Not long after, Jasper arrived to escort Amara to dinner.
The dining room was quiet when she entered. Alexander was already seated at the table. He looked up briefly as she approached before giving a slight nod in acknowledgment.
Amara returned the greeting respectfully before taking her usual seat beside him.
The servants quietly began serving the meal. Unlike previous dinners, there was very little conversation that evening.
Neither of them seemed particularly interested in speaking. They just shared the meal in comfortable silence.
Now and then, Amara found herself glancing at Alexander without realizing it. He remained as composed as ever, eating with his usual calmness, yet for some reason, the silence between them no longer felt awkward.
It felt... peaceful.
Perhaps it was because they would be leaving the palace together the following morning.
Perhaps it was because, after everything they had faced over the past months, words no longer seemed necessary all the time.
Amara could not quite explain it. She only knew that something had changed quietly, almost naturally.
As she looked across the table at Alexander, she found herself thinking that tomorrow would not simply be a change of residence.
It would be the beginning of an entirely new Chapter in both their lives.
And though neither of them said it aloud, Amara could feel that whatever existed between them was slowly changing.
Their relationship was quietly taking its first steps toward something deeper.