[Silthara Palace —Private Courtyard—The Next Morning]
Morning did not rise loudly in Silthara.
It unfolded.
Golden light spilled gently across carved stone, slipping through archways and resting upon the quiet courtyard where flowers bloomed in still pools of water. The air carried a softness rare for a palace that usually breathed power and command.
And within that quiet, Asha ran, a little bigger now.
Her paws striking against marble in uneven rhythm, her striped body moving in bursts of energy as she chased nothing and everything at once. A soft growl escaped her—playful, unrestrained.
Upon her back, Lyresaph rested.
He lay draped across her like a creature carved from moonlight, tail lazily swaying with each of Asha's movements. Unbothered. Regal even in rest.
Then, Asha stopped, her ears perked and her gaze locked. From the far archway, Iru approached, a tray balanced carefully in his hands, steam rising faintly from the dishes placed upon it.
