A few days went by, and Alaric learned pretty fast that the palace didn't get any safer just because time was passing. It just started to feel like a normal, boring routine.
The nursery was always the same: footsteps in the morning, the smell of herbal water, and then the sound of the court outside—people laughing, guards marching, and the clink of glasses. At night, the moon would shine on the floor, the fire would get low, and Gina Othel would just sit there, watching everything. But even when it was quiet, Alaric could tell people were watching him. Not the nice kind of watching, either. It was the kind where servants would look at him too long and then look away real fast when they got caught.
Asimi had fired a few of them, but the palace just sent new ones. It felt like they'd never stop coming.
Alaric still couldn't really move his head without it wobbling around, and he definitely couldn't talk. He was stuck being a baby, which was frustrating. But he watched his mom, Asimi, and realized she was exhausted. She'd smile for everyone else, but as soon as the doors shut, her shoulders would just drop.
On the fifth day, a servant knocked on the door. "Empress-Consort, Princess Adele wants to see the baby."
Asimi looked at Gina, who gave a little nod. "She's alone," Gina whispered. "Just her and one maid."
"Let her in," Asimi said.
Adele was eleven, but she walked like she was a lot older. She had golden hair in a braid and was wearing a simple white dress. When she saw Alaric, her face totally changed—she looked like she actually liked him.
"He's so tiny," Adele whispered, coming closer to the cradle. She looked at his silver-and-gold hair and his weird eyes, but she didn't laugh. "He looks like the sunrise," she said quietly.
Asimi actually smiled a little. "He does."
Adele pulled a little gold coin out of a cloth. "I brought him this. It's an Aurora token I got when I was a baby. It's supposed to be for protection."
Asimi took it first, checking it over like she expected it to be covered in poison. Gina looked at it too. "It's fine," Gina muttered.
Asimi put the coin in the cradle near Alaric's hand. It was cold, and Alaric's tiny, clumsy fingers managed to grab onto the edge of it. Adele looked like she'd just seen a miracle. "He held it!" she whispered.
Then Adele's face got serious. "Empress-Consort... can we talk? In private?"
Asimi led her into the side room behind the curtains. Alaric couldn't see them, but he could hear them.
"Julios is being mean," Adele said, and her voice sounded like she was about to cry. "He thinks you're an interloper. He tells everyone that Alaric is a mistake and that he's going to be a weak 'moon-prince' because of his hair."
"He said the same thing about Tristan," Asimi replied, and her voice was like ice.
"He hates Tristan the most," Adele whispered. "I'm scared of what he's going to do. I don't want Alaric to be alone."
"I'll protect him," Asimi promised. "But Adele, being nice to us is going to cost you."
"I don't care," Adele said. "I don't want to be a jerk like Julios."
When they came back out, Adele looked like she'd been crying, but she tried to hide it. She said goodbye to Alaric and left. But as soon as she walked into the hallway, Julios was standing there, waiting for her.
"How sweet," Julios said, and Alaric could hear his mean voice from the cradle. "Visiting the little freak, are we?"
"He's my brother," Adele snapped.
"Careful, Adele," Julios whispered. "Everyone sees who you're hanging out with. You're basically turning your back on Mother's memory."
He laughed and walked away, and Alaric felt a surge of anger. He gripped that little gold coin as hard as his baby hands could.
Later that night, the Emperor called Julios into his office. Tuare wasn't screaming, but he looked scary.
"You insulted your brother in the Hall," Tuare said, standing by the window.
"I was just joking," Julios muttered, looking at his boots.
"It wasn't a joke," Tuare said, turning around. His golden hair was practically glowing in the firelight. "You're the Crown Prince. You aren't supposed to be a bully. You're supposed to protect people."
Julios scowled. "He's going to be... something. I know it."
"Maybe," the Emperor said. "But you're going to apologize. Tomorrow, in front of everyone, you're going to show him respect."
Julios looked like he'd been slapped. "In front of the whole court?"
"Yes," Tuare said. "Don't make me choose between being a dad and being the Emperor, Julios. You won't like the choice I make."
Julios bowed and stomped out, looking humiliated.
Down in the nursery, Alaric lay in the dark. He knew Adele was in trouble because of him, and he knew Julios was only going to get meaner. He looked at the gold stars on the ceiling and realized that even in a place this pretty, you had to be ready to fight for the people you cared about.