The garden was awash with soft golden light, casting delicate shadows through the blossoming archways. Adriana sat beside Emperor Xander on the marble bench as the maids quietly laid out the tea set on a polished tray. The fragrant scent of jasmine and honeysuckle lingered in the air, yet the man beside her remained distant, his thoughts clearly far from the moment.
She glanced at him, her perfectly gloved hands tightening into fists on her lap.
"Xanny," she began with a carefully sweetened tone, "I was so surprised when I heard Aunt Victoria is throwing a grand ball in my honour. I didn't ask for it, I swear. I only hope it doesn't trouble you or feel like an inconvenience."
He said nothing. His gaze remained fixed on the distant hedges, eyes unfocused, and jaw set in subtle tension.
Adriana forced a smile, masking the bitterness curdling in her chest.
"I just want you to be happy, you know. If any of this feels too much, I…"
"I'm sorry, Adriana," Xander cut in abruptly, rising from his seat. "There's something I must attend to."
She blinked, her hand still outstretched.
"Xander, wait…"
"I'll see you shortly," he said, not meeting her eyes as he strode away down the garden path.
A long silence followed. The moment he disappeared around the hedge, Adriana's poise shattered. Her clenched fists slammed against the table, rattling the porcelain and spilling the tea across the embroidered cloth.
"That dreadful Lola," she hissed under her breath, trembling with fury. She knew exactly where Xander had gone. And worse, who he had gone to.
As she seethed, her lady's maid approached cautiously.
"My lady," she murmured, "the royal seamstress has arrived to take your measurements."
Adriana turned, her glare sharp enough to cut glass.
Elsewhere in the palace, Lord Caspian and Sophia remained in the quiet sanctuary of his study. The late afternoon sun filtered through the windows, casting a warm glow over the dark mahogany shelves and neat rows of scrolls. Thomas had vanished minutes ago, leaving the two adults in a rare moment of stillness.
"Have you heard the Empress Dowager is hosting a royal ball?" Caspian asked, leaning back in his chair with one brow arched.
Sophia, hunched over her ledgers, barely glanced up.
"Yes. What of it?"
"You do realise it's to announce Lady Adriana as the next Empress?" he pressed.
She paused briefly, quill held mid-air, then looked at him flatly.
"I heard. And?"
Caspian blinked. "You truly don't care?"
"I care," she said, resuming her writing, "but not in the way you think. Charlotte can handle herself. She always has."
"You're that confident in her?"
"Yes," she said without hesitation. "Lola has never let something she wanted slip from her grasp. If she truly wants the Emperor, nothing, not even a hundred royal balls will stand in her way."
Caspian chuckled under his breath. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."
Sophia finally set down her quill, her expression shifting.
"Lola is not the one I'm worried about."
He leaned forward slightly. "Then who?"
"Ava," she said quietly, her brow furrowing. "She's been...different. Distant. There's something wrong, but she won't speak of it."
"What do you intend to do?"
"I'm not sure," she admitted, her voice a little softer now. "But I won't sit idle. Not when I know she's hurting."