{Third Person}

The King’s palace was unusually quiet that afternoon.

Though the winter wind had swept across the palace grounds, the receiving chamber was warm, where King Sebastian sat, reviewing several official documents spread across his desk.

A servant stepped in and bowed, then notified him, "Your Majesty, the Alpha Prince is here."

Sebastian immediately looked up. "Let him in."

A moment later, Alexander entered the chamber.

His dark clothing still carried traces of the cold from outside, and his expression remained as calm and unreadable as ever.

"Father." He offered a nod.

Sebastian gestured lightly toward the seat opposite him. "Sit."

Alexander did not refuse this time. He walked over calmly and sat down without ceremony. For a brief moment, silence fell between father and son.

Then Alexander reached into the inner pocket of his coat and brought out a sealed envelope.

"As usual," he said simply.

Sebastian accepted it immediately. He already knew what it was without asking.

It was another letter for the political bride’s friends in the Human Kingdom.

At this point, even he had grown used to the arrangement.

Still, before setting the envelope aside, Sebastian glanced at his son briefly. "You have become quite consistent with this matter," he remarked casually.

Alexander looked uninterested in the observation. "She requested it."

Sebastian hummed quietly. Then Alexander reached for another folded paper and placed it before him as well.

"I also need formal invitation permits prepared," he said.

Sebastian’s brows lifted slightly before he unfolded the paper.

Three names were written neatly on it.

Hazel.

Rachel.

Davina.

Sebastian’s gaze lingered on the list for a moment before he finally looked back at Alexander.

"Who are they?"

"The political bride’s friends," Alexander answered simply.

Sebastian blinked once, then slowly leaned back into his seat. Now, that was interesting to him.

"You are inviting humans into the palace for your birthday banquet?" he asked carefully.

Alexander remained calm. "Yes."

Sebastian studied him quietly. The more he looked at his son, the stranger the situation felt.

Alexander had never been someone who tolerated unnecessary people around him.

Yet now?

He was personally requesting invitations for three human women simply because Amara wanted them there.

A thought slowly formed in Sebastian’s mind. And before he could stop himself, he asked directly:

"Have you fallen in love with the political bride?"

The question landed heavily in the room.

Alexander’s expression immediately darkened with annoyance.

Sebastian noticed at once. Still, he continued watching him carefully.

Truthfully, Sebastian had begun growing slightly concerned recently. Alexander was already protective and attentive to Amara.

Including accommodating her requests far more easily than expected. And if feelings became involved, things would become troublesome.

Alexander finally spoke after a long moment. "You are overthinking."

Sebastian narrowed his eyes slightly. "Am I?"

Alexander’s annoyance deepened visibly now. "She is simply my responsibility," he said evenly. "Nothing more."

Sebastian remained unconvinced. "Then why go this far for her?"

Alexander looked at him calmly. "She has caused no trouble since entering this palace," he replied. "Granting a simple request changes nothing."

Sebastian tapped his fingers lightly against the desk while studying him.

But before he could press further, Alexander stood up. The movement alone already signalled the end of his patience.

As he adjusted his gloves calmly, he said without emotion, "The only woman I can ever fall in love with... is my mate."

The room fell briefly silent after that.

Sebastian stared at him for a moment. Then slowly, the tension in his expression eased as relief quietly settled in his chest.

That was better.

Because no matter how peaceful things currently seemed, Sebastian still did not want his son emotionally entangled with a human political bride.

Especially not before finding his true mate.

Meanwhile, Alexander gave no further explanation.

After offering a short nod, he turned and walked toward the door.

Sebastian watched him leave thoughtfully. And though relief had settled in his heart, a small part of him still could not completely shake the feeling that something about Alexander had already begun changing.

═════ ❄✦❄ ═════

Human Clan.

Three days later, back in the Human Kingdom, winter had already fully settled into the city.

Cold winds brushed against the windows of Rachel’s bedroom while a heater hummed softly in one corner.

Outside, the skies remained pale and cloudy, making the entire afternoon feel lazy and sleepy.

Inside the room, however, the atmosphere was anything but quiet.

Hazel sat cross-legged on the carpet near the bed, already halfway through opening Amara’s newest letter before Rachel could even sit down properly.

"Wait for us!" Rachel complained as she climbed onto the bed, with Davina right behind her.

"You people are too slow," Hazel replied shamelessly.

Davina immediately snatched the letter from her hands. "Read properly before you skip important parts."

The three women quickly crowded together and unfolded the paper between them.

The moment they recognized Amara’s handwriting, their expressions softened almost immediately.

"She really misses us," Rachel murmured quietly after reading the first few lines.

Davina nodded. "You can tell."

Soon enough, however, the emotional atmosphere shifted completely, because the teasing section appeared.

Hazel burst into laughter first. "Oh my God," she wheezed. "She’s panicking."

Rachel immediately grabbed the paper, dramatically and read aloud:

"Please stop thinking rubbish. My relationship with His Highness is not what you people are imagining."

That only made the three of them laugh harder.

"She sounds guilty," Davina said immediately.

"Very guilty," Hazel corrected.

Rachel collapsed backwards onto the bed, laughing. "Poor Amara. We embarrassed her properly this time."

The three of them continued reading while commenting loudly after nearly every paragraph.

When they reached the part about the Alpha Prince’s birthday banquet, Rachel looked thoughtful.

"So there’s going to be a huge royal banquet," she said.

"And she still doesn’t know what gift to give him," Davina added.

Hazel immediately grinned. "That means she cares enough to stress over it."

Davina nodded. "Exactly. If she truly didn’t care about him, she wouldn’t be thinking this deeply about his gift."

The topic naturally drifted back toward Alexander again. And once it did, none of them had any intention of letting it go.

"I still think the Alpha Prince likes her," Hazel announced confidently.

Rachel nodded immediately. "At this point, I agree."

Davina looked thoughtful. "Especially if he’s personally helping her exchange letters with us."

Hazel pointed dramatically at the paper. "Exactly."

Rachel suddenly grinned mischievously. "You know what?" she said. "If that man ever makes a move on her, Amara should just accept him properly."

Davina burst into laughter.

Hazel nodded seriously as if discussing politics.

"No, truly," she agreed. "The Alpha Prince sounds protective, attentive, powerful, and caring."

"And handsome," Rachel added immediately.

"We have not even seen him," Davina pointed out.

Rachel shrugged shamelessly. "I can feel it spiritually."

The room erupted into laughter again.

Eventually, after nearly an hour of gossiping and rereading the letter repeatedly, the three girls finally decided to write one response together again.

Rachel grabbed fresh paper while Hazel immediately began dictating nonsense.

Davina tried and failed to keep the letter reasonable.

They reassured Amara that she should stop overthinking the birthday gift too much and simply choose something sincere.

They also told her to take better care of herself during winter and stop pretending to be strong while freezing alone among werewolves who apparently felt no cold.

And naturally, they could not resist teasing her again before ending the letter.

If the Alpha Prince ever decided to make a romantic move on her, then she should stop acting stubborn and simply accept him properly.

After all, according to Hazel’s dramatic conclusion—

"Any man who helps deliver letters consistently is already halfway in love."

By the time they finished writing, all three girls looked deeply satisfied with themselves.

Meanwhile, far away in the Werewolf Kingdom, Amara remained completely unaware that her three friends had once again chosen chaos over peace.

═════ ❄✦❄ ═════

The next two afternoons, Jasper entered Alexander’s study carrying a familiar envelope on a silver tray.

"Your Highness," he called respectfully.

Alexander, who had been reviewing documents near the fireplace, looked up briefly.

Jasper stepped forward and placed the envelope on the desk.

"The reply from the Human Kingdom arrived," he informed him. "His Majesty had it sent over immediately after it reached the palace."

Alexander gave a small nod.

Jasper waited for a moment before quietly excusing himself from the room.

The study soon fell silent again.

For a while, Alexander simply stared at the envelope resting on the table. Then, almost as if acting on instinct rather than thought, he reached for it.

The seal broke cleanly beneath his fingers. He unfolded the letter calmly at first and began reading.

The beginning was harmless enough.

It was just updates, complaints about winter and concern for Amara’s health.

Then, his expression slowly changed. He stared at one particular line for several seconds before abruptly coughing into his fist.

The tips of his ears had visibly reddened—a rare sight.

He lowered the letter slightly and looked ahead in disbelief. ’What exactly is wrong with her friends?’

The further he read, the worse it became.

If the Alpha Prince ever makes a romantic move on you, stop acting stubborn and just accept him properly.