Princess Ilyana led Kael into her private chambers while keep their linked arm. A tray of tea and snacks had already been set out on the table by a servant. The air had a faint, expensive scent of honeysuckle and something sharper underneath.
Without hesitation, the princess placed her palm against Kael's chest, her fingers lightly following the rigid muscle lines beneath his uniform. She never took away her well-practiced sweet smile.
"Kael, why are you so stiff tonight?" Her tone was sweet. "Just because of her, you don't have to act like I'm a stranger for you." Kael's forehead wrinkled. 
Putting cold distance between them, he took a step back, breaking down the skin contact between them, the warmth of her palm still lingering like poison "Princess, you mentioned my father in this. Let's get right to the point." his voice is stern.
Ilyana's expression briefly flickered with annoyance before she dismissed it with a wave of her hand. The servant bowed, but before she could turn to go, the princess slipped something tiny onto her tray, too quickly for Kael to notice.
"Kael, must you be so stiff?" She took a seat on the couch and carefully raised her tea cup. Her eyes never leave Kael, and she has a beautiful smile on her face. "Take it easy and sit down now."
"It's late now princess, it would be improper if I stay too long" said the commander with a stern tone while maintaining his politeness.
Ilyana's cup clinked against its saucer. "Always so dutiful. Tell me—does your wife appreciate that... devotion?" she deliberately challenge him.
Kael said nothing, though his eyes never left her, searching her.
Ilyana leaned on the couch's arm, candles flickering in her gaze. "We are not strangers here, Kael. We could use some time to talk—really talk, casually. Our shared history... did it mean nothing at all to you?" he doesn't respond again.
Her eyes narrowed, irritated by his silence. She drifted around the table, fingertips trailing along its polished edge before she turned back to him. "You always were so quick to bury yourself in duty," she said softly. He sealed his lips, standing tall and watching her without a single word.
"For all this time, it is said that your father had died in the border, fought as a hero with a strong werewolf pack. But... The truth is, the opposite" she deliberately pause and checking his reaction. He frowned his eyebrow.
"He was killed by the royal guard. Executed on the place. His crime? Harboring werewolves near the border. Letting them escape into the forests." it feel like a bombshell for Kael. 
Ilyana take out someting metalic from her drawer then put it on the table. Kael recognize it even from distance, but he walk closer to check it. His father's wedding ring.
His pupil dilated, his chest felt tight. His heartbeat rapid. It is as if the air around him has suddenly shrink. Make him breathless.
"You know what is funnier? Your wife's father signed the execution order. You married the daughter of the man who killed your father."
He flinch as if he was being stabbed. He blinking rapidly, staggered back, as if the floor had betrayed him, fists clenching at his sides until his knuckles turned white. Ilyana watched him intently, a slow, almost imperceptible smile curling at her lips.
Kael stumbled back and turned around. His unsteady movement crushed a flower in the table vase, knocking it to the ground—shattered. But he didn't care. He left without looking back.
He never heard the shattered glass, only his father's laugh, warm_ distant, and a memory of the past that left him.
 Meanwhile__
Elira's journey in the carriage was only filled by the sound of the cart's wheels grinding against the rough road. Her eyes drifted to the trees' shadows in the dark. The events at the palace just moments ago still lingered in her mind. And then she felt it: a silence too still, an eerie sensation that made her inner wolf snarl.
Suddenly, an arrow struck the carriage driver in a vital spot, killing him instantly. His lifeless body was thrown from the carriage and fell to the ground. The horse reared with the sudden collapse, and the carriage came to a wild, jolting halt. The Rennar guards snapped to alert, scanning every direction for the next attack.
Then another arrow struck the nearest guard, sending him tumbling from his horse. This time the attackers revealed themselves—more than ten men dressed in black, their faces covered. Instantly, the clash between assassins and Rennar guards began.
The Rennar guards were well trained, but the assassins were clearly experts. They balanced the fight with fierce precision. Steel met steel, and the scent of blood soon filled the air. Though Elira still sat inside the carriage, she could hear it all. More assassins emerged from the woods, and the battle intensified. The Rennar guards were outnumbered.