{Third Person}

After a moment, Amara looked back at Elowen. "Can you help me ask him instead?" she requested carefully.

Elowen immediately smiled while shaking her head. "No," she said honestly. "That would not be a good idea."

Amara looked confused and asked, "Why?" 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Elowen leaned back slightly before explaining, "My brother would prefer hearing the request from you personally."

Amara became tongue-tied instantly. Elowen watched her reaction with amusement but decided not to tease her this time.

After a short while, she stood up smoothly. "I should leave before it gets too late. I will visit you again another day," she said.

Amara quickly stood as well. Before leaving the room, she glanced briefly toward Ginger, who remained curled up asleep in her padded corner.

She smiled faintly at the sight before following Elowen outside.

The cold evening air greeted them immediately.

The servants quickly moved to prepare the carriage while Elowen adjusted her light cloak. "I will see you soon," she said brightly.

Amara nodded. "Safe journey."

Elowen waved once before stepping into the carriage.

Amara remained standing there until the carriage disappeared beyond the courtyard gates. Only then did she finally turn to head back inside.

But before she could reach the entrance, she nearly walked straight into Barron.

"Oh," she said softly in surprise.

Barron smiled immediately the moment he saw her. "How are you doing today?" he asked easily.

"I’m fine, thank you," she replied politely.

He nodded before casually adding, "Have you finally thought of a birthday gift for Alexander?"

She smiled helplessly and shook her head. "Not yet."

Barron looked thoughtful for exactly one second before deciding to cause trouble. "You know what Alexander needs most these days is affection," he revealed.

"Affection?" Amara blinked. ’What does he mean by that?’ she thought to herself.

He nodded seriously, though the amusement hidden in his eyes completely betrayed him.

"He would probably appreciate that more than any gift."

Amara immediately became uncertain where this conversation was heading. And somehow, she no longer entirely trusted Barron’s intentions.

Before he could continue further, she quickly interrupted him. "Is His Highness in the residence right now?" she asked.

Barron looked mildly disappointed that his teasing had been cut short. "No," he answered. "He stepped out earlier."

Amara nodded slowly. "I actually needed to discuss something with him," she admitted.

Barron’s brows lifted slightly with interest, but to his credit, he did not pry. Instead, he just smiled and said, "Then I will let him know you wish to see him once he returns."

Amara looked visibly relieved. "Thank you."

Barron waved a hand casually. "It’s nothing."

Amara gave him one final polite nod before heading back inside the residence.

Meanwhile, Barron remained standing at the same spot for a moment longer, watching her leave with an expression full of quiet amusement.

Then, under his breath, he muttered to himself, "This place is becoming more entertaining by the day."

---

After parting ways with Barron, Amara returned quietly inside the house.

As soon as she walked in, Ginger, already awake, ran to her side. Amara smiled, bent down to lightly touch her head, then scooped her into her arms.

The moment they entered her room, she carried the cat toward the soft little bed arranged specially for her near the fireplace.

"You really sleep too much these days."

Ginger merely blinked lazily before curling herself comfortably into the cushion the moment she was placed down.

Amara smiled faintly at the sight before walking toward her desk. The unfinished reply to her friends was still there waiting for her.

She stared at the blank paper for a minute, then sat down decisively. "This is the perfect chance," she muttered softly to herself.

She pulled a fresh sheet closer, grabbed a pen, and finally began writing.

At first, her words came out hurriedly, almost defensively.

She immediately warned Hazel, Rachel, and Davina to stop filling their heads with nonsense and dirty thoughts regarding her relationship with the Alpha Prince.

As she wrote, her cheeks gradually warmed again, remembering all the shameless things they had asked her in the previous letter.

"No, His Highness has not made any romantic moves toward me. And no, we are not behaving like the things you three imagined."

Amara paused briefly after writing that line, suddenly feeling slightly guilty for some reason.

Then she quickly shook the feeling away and continued writing before her thoughts wandered somewhere dangerous again.

Soon, the topic shifted naturally.

She informed them about the upcoming birthday banquet in seven weeks and admitted she was struggling to think of a suitable gift for Alexander.

Halfway through writing, however, she suddenly shivered lightly. The cold had become sharper again.

Even with the fireplace burning nearby, the winter chill still seemed to seep endlessly through her body.

Amara rubbed lightly at her arm before continuing the letter.

She asked her friends whether winter had already properly arrived back home and whether the weather there was equally cold.

Then, unable to help herself, she complained honestly.

"I have never experienced winter this cold in my entire life. The winter season here in the Werewolf Kingdom feels far harsher on my body."

As she wrote those words, another small shiver escaped her. She sighed before continuing again.

She explained to them that the werewolves themselves seemed barely affected by the weather because of their constitution, making her feel even more miserable, being the only person constantly freezing inside the palace.

By the end of the letter, her tone softened again.

She reminded them to take care of themselves properly and not neglect their health during the season change.

Only after finishing did she finally place the pen down with a quiet sigh of relief.

"Done."

Carefully, she folded the letter and slipped it neatly into a fresh envelope. Then she held it lightly between her fingers while leaning back into the chair.

A small smile slowly appeared on her face.

Finally, she now had a proper excuse.

Amara looked down at the envelope again and quietly admitted to herself that she had been worrying too much earlier about how to approach Alexander.

But now?

This solved everything.

When he eventually sent for her or returned to the residence, she could naturally use the letter as a reason to request an audience with him.

And while speaking to him, she could also ask about inviting Hazel, Rachel, and Davina to the Werewolf Kingdom for the birthday banquet.

The thought alone lifted her mood considerably.

She hugged the envelope lightly to her chest before smiling to herself.

For once, she was actually looking forward to speaking with Alexander again.