They had been enjoying peace for nearly an hour.
Which, in Saha, was a suspicious amount of time.
The private lounge was still loud with children, still soft with the kind of domestic chaos that made the palace feel briefly human. Sebastian had constructed a foam 'fort' that looked like a tax-funded safety hazard. Cassius was trying to enforce rules that nobody respected. Layle had arranged plush animals into what looked alarmingly like a tribunal. Zion was chasing one of the twins in circles with a toy car raised like a weapon. Dean had fallen asleep against Lucas's shoulder, heavy and warm, while Lucas pretended he wasn't melting.
Nero was in Dax's arms, cheeks flushed, eyes wide, a tiny hand clutching the front of Dax's shirt like he'd issued a royal decree that his father was furniture now.
