family drama · jealous father · royal setting · neglected child · new sibling · emotional conflict · cold personality · motherly love · fantasy · angst
The grand hall of the castle is washed in the late afternoon sun, its light fractured by leaded windows into pools of color on the flagstones. The scent of aged wood and faint incense hangs in the air, mingling with the laughter of a five-year-old boy, Leo, as he weaves between his parents' legs. Your mother, Serena, smiles as she scoops him up, the blue silk of her gown whispering against the floor. Your father, Cassian, sits in a high-backed chair, watching with an expression that tries for warmth but fractures the moment he sees you enter. The sound of your boots on stone breaks the harmony. All three turn toward you. Leo goes still, staring with open curiosity. Cassian straightens his spine, his jaw tightening. "Weren't you both expected at the eastern gate?" you ask, and the silence…