Chapter 200: A New Obstacle
{Third Person}
As evening settled over the royal palace, Alexander was seated in the sitting room, reading through a few official reports that Barron had left for him earlier in the day.
He had barely reached the end of the first report when a gentle knock sounded at the door.
"Come in."
The door opened, and Jasper entered with his usual composed demeanour. He bowed respectfully before stepping forward with a sealed envelope resting neatly on a small silver tray.
"Your Highness."
Alexander lifted his eyes from the report.
Jasper held out the tray. "A letter arrived a short while ago. It is addressed to Lady Amara."
Alexander glanced briefly at the familiar handwriting on the envelope. He immediately understood who had sent it. Her friends.
Without reaching for it, he simply said, "Take it to her."
"Yes, Your Highness." Jasper inclined his head. He turned to leave, but after taking only a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and stopped.
Turning back around, he bowed once more. "There is one more matter to report."
Alexander looked at him expectantly. "What is it?"
Jasper answered calmly. "His Majesty’s concubine has just given birth to a male pup."
Alexander’s expression remained unchanged. He neither congratulated nor commented immediately. He merely lowered his gaze for a brief moment, his thoughts drifting elsewhere.
Another prince.
Or perhaps another tragedy waiting to happen.
He knew the palace too well. Being born into the royal family did not necessarily mean a child would grow up safely.
His thoughts inevitably wandered to Rowan.
Years ago, shortly after Rowan had been born, his biological mother—a human woman—had died.
Sebastian had been left with an infant son and a difficult decision to make. In the end, he had entrusted Rowan to Queen Lysandra, allowing her to raise the child as her own.
It had been an unusual choice, but perhaps the only one that could have kept Rowan alive.
Back then, Sebastian had understood something many people overlooked. A child openly acknowledged and raised by the Queen stood a far better chance of surviving the endless schemes within the palace than one left vulnerable without her protection.
Whether Lysandra had truly cared for Rowan or had merely accepted the arrangement because it benefited her own position was another matter entirely.
Regardless of her reasons, Rowan had survived to adulthood.
Alexander leaned back slightly in his chair. His thoughts shifted to the newborn. He wondered how long the little pup would be allowed to live.
The thought crossed his mind with unsettling ease. Not because he wished the child harm, but because he knew exactly what kind of people lived within these palace walls.
Queen Lysandra would never welcome another male heir into the royal family. Neither would those who had already begun placing their hopes on Zarek’s future.
A newborn prince was not simply another child. He was another obstacle.
Alexander released a slow, almost inaudible breath. Still, if there was one person capable of protecting that child, it was his father.
Sebastian had done it once before with Rowan. Perhaps he would do something similar again.
If he wished to keep the newborn alive, he would have to act quickly. Leaving such a young pup exposed inside the palace would only invite danger.
Alexander’s thoughts lingered there for another moment before he quietly dismissed them.
Fortunately, by this time tomorrow, he would no longer be living within these palace walls. Whatever storms followed the child’s birth would no longer unfold before his eyes.
For once, he found himself grateful for that. He had no desire to remain here listening to endless reports of palace intrigues, assassination attempts, and power struggles surrounding another innocent child.
He had endured enough of that for one lifetime.
With a slight shake of his head, he pushed the thoughts aside and returned his attention to Jasper. "You may go."
"Yes, Your Highness." Jasper bowed before leaving the room.
Alexander watched the door close behind him, and the sitting room gradually fell silent again.
Outside, the last rays of daylight disappeared beyond the palace walls.
By tomorrow morning, he and Amara would finally leave this place behind.
---
Night gradually settled over the royal palace, but unlike the peaceful silence that usually accompanied it, an invisible tension lingered in the air.
The birth of the King’s newest son had become the only topic anyone seemed interested in discussing.
Every corridor carried whispers, and every servant had something to say. Some rejoiced over the arrival of another royal prince, while others quietly wondered how the Queen and the other members of the royal family would receive the news.
Inside the Queen’s palace, however, there was no joy.
Queen Lysandra sat alone in her private sitting room with an untouched dinner laid out before her.
The dishes had long since grown cold. And not once had she reached for her cutlery.
Her maid-in-waiting stood quietly to one side, not daring to encourage her to eat after witnessing her mistress’s temper throughout the day.
Lysandra’s face remained dark. Every time she thought she had finally rid herself of one obstacle, another appeared before her.
Alexander was leaving the palace. That should have been good news. Instead, he remained the Alpha Prince.
Then, just as she was still struggling to come to terms with that disappointment, the King’s concubine gave birth to a healthy male pup.
Another prince.
Another possible successor.
Another threat to everything she had spent years building for Zarek.
Lysandra slowly clenched the armrest of her chair. Nothing had gone her way in a very long time. Absolutely nothing.
She had tried to isolate Alexander. Instead, he had become more difficult to deal with.
She had hoped his departure from the palace would clear the path for Zarek. Instead, Sebastian had practically declared that his position would remain untouched until the day he inherited the throne.
Now, another prince had been born. Lysandra felt as though fate itself had turned against her.
After sitting in silence for a long while, she suddenly pushed the untouched dishes away. "I’ve lost my appetite."
Her maid-in-waiting bowed immediately. "Yes, Your Majesty."
Lysandra slowly rose from her seat and walked toward her bedchamber. As she stood before the window overlooking the palace grounds, bitterness slowly filled her eyes.
"What have I done to deserve this?"