[Silthara Palace—Private Courtyard—Evening]
The private courtyard breathed in stillness.
Hibiscus blossoms burned red against pale stone, their petals open to the cooling dusk. Levin sat beneath the carved lattice, his gaze resting not on people, not on guards—but on a single bee settled calmly within a flower's heart.
Unbothered.
Unafraid.
Asha blinked once, then lifted a paw and swatted at the air, a playful challenge. The bee turned, buzzing sharp and indignant, wings vibrating like a drawn threat—
HISSSS—!
Lyseraph reared slightly, silver scales catching the last light of day, blue eyes narrowed in warning. The hiss cut clean through the quiet.
The bee fled at once.
Asha blinked again, confused. Lyseraph slapped him lightly across the head with one paw and hissed once more, clearly offended by the cub's lack of restraint. The two rolled across the stone in a tangle of paws and tails—Lyseraph scolding, Asha protesting—until they collapsed, indignant and panting.
