Cayn turned his head briefly toward the windows where the heirs watched his arrival. His golden eyes lingered for a moment, calm, unreadable. Then he simply looked away and escorted his mother to join the queen for tea.
Inside the guest salon, the conversation resumed.
Cassis seemed suddenly oblivious to everything except Ella's laughter. Diana eventually caught him staring and pinched him beneath the table.
Before she could whisper anything, the door opened.
Cayn stepped inside.
The room shifted.
Something in the air tightened, an instinctive tension none of them could explain.
Ella brightened instantly.
"Brother!" she cried, running to him and wrapping her arms around his torso.
A faint smile curved his lips.
"Careful," he murmured, resting a hand on her head. "You'll break my bones."
She hit his chest lightly. "I hate you!"
Their banter filled the room with laughter.
Diana turned away too quickly, so quickly that Cassis noticed.
"What's wrong?" he whispered, seeing the crimson creeping up her ears. "You look feverish."
"N-no," she stammered. Stupid. Pull yourself together. Breath. Breath.
She pressed her cool hands against her cheeks.
When she finally turned back, Cayn was staring straight at her.
Her breath caught.
She immediately lowered her gaze and offered the formal greeting. Cassis followed.
Cayn returned the gesture with effortless poise, then addressed his siblings.
"How are my brothers?"
"Well enough," Allen answered warmly.
"We missed you," Rai added.
"It's been two days," Cayn replied, amused.
Ella crossed her arms. "It feels empty without you."
Allen and Cayn exchanged a quiet laugh before Cayn excused himself.
"I'll be outside for a smoke."
He patted Ella's shoulder lightly as he passed, and Diana found herself watching his back, broad, composed, unsettlingly graceful.
The conversation continued, but Diana's focus drifted until Ella gently tugged her hand.
"You okay?"
"Yes! I mean, yes. Just lost in thought."
Ella leaned close, whispering with mischief.
"And that thought… wouldn't happen to be my brother, would it?"
Diana nearly choked. "W-what!? Of course not—no—absolutely not—"
But the image of Cayn smiling at his mother flickered in her mind, burning warmth up her neck.
Ella snickered. "Ah, the effect works fast. His charm strikes again."
"Again? Does this happen often?" Diana blurted out before mentally slapping herself.
"Oh yes," Ella said breezily. "But he rejects everyone."
Diana didn't want to feel relieved, but she did.
Ella clapped her hands proudly.
"But since it's you, I'll help!"
Diana chuckled. "I'd…like to know more about him first."
Ella's smile softened.
"He's handsome, yes, but that's trivial. What matters is that he only cares about family. And he is impossibly gentle with his mother. But there is this thing, like an aura, from his eyes to his composure, to his every movement..."
"I saw that," Diana murmured.
"He can be scary," Ella admitted. "But he's the most reasonable person you'll ever meet. Wait, that makes him scarier haha. But, we all look up to him."
"How do you look up to him?" Diana repeated.
"Because he's of the greatest character?"
The men rejoined, nodding at Ella's words.
Diana, gathering her thoughts, asked cautiously,
"Forgive my boldness… but if he commands such respect, such character, why is he not positioned as the crown prince?"
The siblings exchanged a glance before Allen answered.
"He simply does not care."
Diana frowned. "A man indifferent to a throne?"
"Even a king," Allen said quietly, "is small compared to him."
Cassis and Diana shared a meaningful look.
She had already felt that overwhelming presence in the forest, stronger than her father, a sword saint.
Allen continued.
"We hope you understand this, before we speak of more serious matters."
"Serious matters?" Cassis asked.
Rai stepped forward, placing sealed documents on the table.
"We requested your presence before the other heirs arrive. We intend to ally, Archion and Leoryn first, later joined by Yamato and Roz."
"And Sylvia?" Cassis asked sharply.
Rai pushed the documents toward him.
The reaction was immediate.
Cassis's jaw clenched.
Diana's eyes narrowed, then fury erupted from her in a wave so heavy it made the air vibrate.
"These sons of—!"
The curse was cut short only because her killing intent choked the entire room.
"Sister…" Cassis whispered, shrinking beneath her gaze.
Diana leaned back in her seat, crossing one leg over the other with regal precision.
Her aura was so intense that the candles flickered violently.
"So this is what my father asked me to see by coming here and speaking with you. I guess they want us to act on this, the younger generation alone without them," she said coldly. "We will stand by your side."
Her voice sharpened.
"As for Sylvia… they must not learn of this. At all."
Ella straightened beside her, mirroring her posture, her own aura rising.
"That is one reason we asked for you first," Ella said.
"Me? Why me? Why not the Yamato kingdom heirs?" Diana asked.
Rai smiled lightly. "The reason is… your character, your Royal Highness Diana."
The men stiffened as the women locked eyes.
"How did you obtain information about me?" Diana asked calmly.
"You'd be surprised by the reach of the Crow Guild," Rai said.
"That guild?" Diana's eyes narrowed. "Didn't it vanish five years ago when its leader disappeared?"
Ella didn't answer verbally.
Instead, she raised her fingers and channeled mana.
"Oh mana, gather. Reveal what lies in the depths of my memories."
A massive projection formed, bright, undeniable, unforgeable.
Memory magic.
Diana remained silent, expression unreadable.
She respected this approach, direct, clear, and serious.