A moment later.
Taufik and all the men of the family were gathered in the garden, seated around the gazebo as the warm afternoon light filtered through the vines above. The women, meanwhile, had taken over the garden like a small army, directing maids, ordering decorations, arranging tables, and pulling out banners with terrifying efficiency.
A welcoming party.
A grand one.
Of course.
But something tugged at Taufik, a small thread of confusion.
"…Why do they have to attend an academy outside our kingdom?" he finally asked, eyes narrowing slightly. "Don't we have our own?"
His gaze settled on his eldest. "Aksa?"
Aksara exhaled slowly, rubbing his temple.
"Well," he began cautiously, "we do have one. The best one, actually. But Father... we all know what would happen if they enrolled there"
Taufik blinked. "What?"
Aksara stared at him flatly.
"It would be destroyed"
Taufik opened his mouth, then closed it.
