Chapter 146: [X] Chapter 146: Tenth Birthday [ Golden Ticket Bonus - ]
***
It was the day of Alexander Abyss’s tenth birthday.
The Winterfang household had naturally hosted a full royal banquet to mark the occasion of their Third Prince reaching this age.
The main halls of the palace were already filled with the low murmur of arriving guests and the controlled activity of servants moving in every direction.
Outside the private wing the noise of preparation never quite stopped.
In his private chambers Alex stood in front of a tall mirror while Zara helped him try on successive formal outfits.
The two of them had been at it long enough that the floor around the dressing screen was littered with rejected coats, folded sashes, and at least one pair of ornamental gloves that Alex had refused to even consider.
"Hey Zara, doesn’t this one make me look like I am about to open a festival," Alex said, turning sideways to examine the bright embroidery on the latest coat.
"I am not opening a festival here, I am supposed to stand still, accept greetings, and act like a prince!"
Zara held up another option, this one heavy with silver thread and the formal Abyss crest worked into the shoulders.
"Your mother had this one prepared specifically and it is traditional for the Abyss side on milestone birthdays, and it fits you well."
"You know it’s also traditional for me to reject anything that almost weighs more than I do and makes me look like a walking tapestry." He pushed the coat aside and reached for a simpler dark ensemble hanging near the end of the rack.
"This one, I have a good feeling about this one."
He pulled it on without waiting for further argument.
The clean lines of the dark formal suit settled against his still growing frame without excess fabric or unnecessary decoration.
The collar sat correctly and the cuffs ended where they were supposed to end.
He adjusted them once, checked the mirror from two angles, and gave a short nod.
"Yup! This one feels right and I can move in it plus I do not look like I am attending my own memorial today!"
Zara stepped closer, the small ceremonial crown prepared for the day already in her hands.
She placed it carefully on his head, straightened it by a fraction until the weight balanced, then moved behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a brief hug.
While she held him she ruffled his hair lightly with one hand, deliberately disturbing the careful arrangement she had finished only moments earlier.
Alex’s voice stayed light, but the complaint was genuine.
"Hey! Zara! Do not ruin the hair!"
"You do know I still have to walk through an entire hall of people who will notice if it looks like I fought a wind elemental on the way down the corridor."
She only tightened the hug for a second longer before releasing him.
The crown stayed in place but his hair did not.
A few strands now fell across his forehead in a way that would have required another five minutes with a comb to correct.
She did not offer to correct them.
’Why does she not comb it for me if she is the one who ruined it!’
He looked at he through the mirror, she looked back.
’Ya, I don’t think that will go smoothly...’
After being done with it, Alex remained in front of the mirror, studying his own reflection with a quiet focus.
After a moment he spoke again, the question sounding almost casual, as if it had only just occurred to him.
"What are some of the most valuable things in the entire kingdom?"
Zara’s hands paused where she had been adjusting the back of his collar.
She raised an eyebrow at his reflection in the glass.
"Why are you suddenly asking about that? You have never cared about the treasury lists before."
Alex did not answer immediately.
"Zara, I am thinking about something, so I need some information..."
He kept his eyes on the mirror, watching the way the dark fabric caught the light from the window.
After a short pause Zara exhaled and answered anyway, the tone of someone who had decided the answer was not worth arguing over.
"Almost every truly valuable item belonging to the royal family is stored inside the Winterfang Treasury."
"Artifacts with restricted histories, inheritance pieces that cannot leave the bloodline, sealed contracts, the older mana core reserves that predate the current formations, the list doesn’t end."
"Everything else is either on display for politics or locked in private vaults that only a few people can open."
"I see... that’s good to hear." Alex’s expression did not change, behind his eyes, however, the familiar calculation had already begun.
The shape of a plan started to form in the same quiet, methodical way he approached any problem that required more than raw force.
He thought of his father standing somewhere in the main hall right now, probably reviewing guest lists or listening to some minor noble’s carefully worded birthday greeting.
A quiet, private apology formed in the back of his mind and stayed there.
’Dad, sorry for whatever is about to happen next, it’s nothing personal.’
***
In the main reception hall Alessio stood with Vespera while the final preparations continued around them.
Servants adjusted the placement of crystal lamps so the light fell evenly across the long tables.
A steward confirmed the seating order for the higher ranked houses one last time.
The air carried the mixed scents of polished wood, winter flowers arranged in low bowls, and the faint air of active mana wards that had been reinforced for the number of guests expected.
Alessio suddenly sneezed.
Vespera turned toward him with a playful raised eyebrow.
"Hmm?"
The corner of her mouth curved in the particular way that meant she was about to enjoy the next sentence and saw no reason to hide it.
"Dear, how did you catch a cold? Is old age finally catching up to you?"
Alessio huffed.
The sound was short and offended.
He straightened his royal outer coat with deliberate dignity, smoothed the front once with the flat of his hand, and refused to meet the amusement in her eyes for a full three seconds.
"It was nothing."
***
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End of Chapter 146: Tenth Birthday
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