Morning sunlight poured gently through the open window of the royal chamber, glinting off the golden crest above the door. Yet inside, the mood was anything but calm.
King Harvey sat stiffly on a velvet-cushioned seat beside the tall window, one hand resting under his chin, the other holding a lukewarm teacup he hadn't touched for an hour.
He hadn't slept.
Not even a wink.
His mind was too noisy… looping with one name over and over again.
Dila.
The Princess of Eldor. The girl who now sat quietly—unknowingly—at the center of a political storm waiting to erupt.
Harvey sighed heavily, leaning forward. "This isn't good..." he muttered to himself, staring at the sun climbing above the horizon. His reflection stared back at him faintly in the glass—a worn man with more burdens than he'd ever asked for.
"If she doesn't return soon… Albedo will realize I've been keeping her here all this time."
He shook his head, almost in disbelief.
