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A smile upturns Cael’s lips at her words. Kaera finishes the final bite, retrieving a clean linen handkerchief from the inside of her coat to wipe her fingers, ensuring no crumb drops while her expression becomes serious. “Father requested me to locate your frame.”

Cael’s shoulders stiffen. He expected his father to remain resting within his quarters. He would not call for him unless something of importance required his presence. Cael lifts his hands to sign. Is it urgent? Do you possess any particular idea why he requires my presence?

Kaera folds her soiled handkerchief, sliding the fabric back into her small pocket. “He needs us. Including Elara. Yet when we meet his frame within his private quarters, we can inform him of her cold.” A pause cracks the quiet between them. “I think it is something troublesome yet again.”

Cael nods, while his attention drifts toward the closed door behind him. His hand remains upon the wood for another moment while he steps away. They begin walking side by side through the corridor, their footsteps soft against the stone. The palace is quieter than it has been for the past few days, while the distant movements of servants and guards remind Cael that the morning began without his oversight.

Kaera breaks the silence. “How is Elara?”

Cael looks down at her. Her fever has not worsened. She is resting.

Kaera smiles, shaking her head. “It reminds me of the moments when you cared for my frame when I fell ill. You abandoned your duties to care for me, while Father and Mother stayed distressed.” A quiet laugh escapes her mouth. “I recall how your eyebrows furrowed because of how bland the hot chicken soup tasted.”

He laughs, his shoulders shaking at the recollection.

Kaera’s smile fades. “For now, we all need rest. Let the chefs prepare Elara’s meals, Annie bring what she requires, and have the nurse check her condition every day.” A pause follows her words. “You overwhelm your frame. I wonder if you will ever stop.”

He halts his steps and faces her, raising his hands to sign in a firm manner. I willingly chose to care for her frame. I can prepare the things she needs, and I can ensure she is well. Like how I performed for you. Am I not capable?

Kaera’s eyes widen, her eyebrows furrowing with hurt. “I was recommending that you take a break. It was a reminder.”

Cael relaxes, feeling guilt for his sudden outburst. He does not break his composure or lashing out. I apologize, he signs, unable to deliver more symbols while his strength begins to falter.

“No,” Kaera’s fingers curl at her sides, her breathing heavy while her humor disappears. “Do not dismiss this, Cael. You stayed focused entirely on this section of the palace, refusing to let anyone in, while the entire palace fell into chaos. Father was hurt, Mother was screaming at the guards, and I was left alone within my quarters wondering if you even cared to look for me. You did not check on my welfare a single time.”

Cael stands motionless, the guilt striking his chest while he watches a tear track down her cheek.

“You hide away,” she continues, her voice lowering to a trembling whisper that echoes off the stone walls. “You keep your heart hidden beneath your duties. You expect me to tell you everything, to talk about the jester I care for, but you offer me nothing in return. You have never shared your true thoughts with my life.”

She gasps for her breath, forcing her frame to straighten. “I am your sister, Cael, but I watch you reach for Elara first, giving her the immediate concern you denied to my safety during the crisis.” A sob escapes her mouth while she struggles to hold it back. “I have been afraid for days. Father relies on your strength,” she points a finger at his frame. “I am pushed aside, as if I hold no strength and knowledge to help this family.”

Cael’s chest tightens as memories begin to surface, small moments he had never thought to hold onto. Kaera waiting outside his study with a smile, asking if he had a moment to spare. Kaera sitting beside him during meals, speaking about something that had happened during her day while his attention remained fixed on the reports before him. There had been moments when she had reached toward him, and he had always believed she would understand when duty demanded his attention. He had never considered that, perhaps, she had been waiting for him to reach back.

He had been afraid for Elara. That much remains undeniable. When he had seen her vulnerable, his instincts had carried him toward her before he could consider anything else. But that fear had never meant he felt less for Kaera, nor had his concern for Elara ever been intended to make his sister feel forgotten.

He simply had not realized how often his instincts had placed one person before another, leaving Kaera to believe she had become the one he could afford to neglect.

“And Mother,” she begins, her eyelashes fluttering as tears continue to stream down her cheeks. “She put me aside as well, insulted me, and humiliated me more times than I can count for no reason. That day when she lashed out at Elara and me, not once have you approached me and asked if I were alright. Instead, you rushed to Elara in my own bedchamber, and made me feel forgotten.”

He shakes his head, taking a step forward to hug his younger sister. Seeing her in such distress breaks him, and knowing she is enduring it because of him only pierces his heart further.

Cael does not attempt to raise his hands, knowing he holds no excuses. He takes a step toward his younger sister, his arms opening to offer comfort while Kaera takes a trembling step backward.

“Do not,” she whispers, wiping her cheek with the heel of her hand. “Do not make this disappear with an embrace, Cael.”

He stops. Her lips tremble while she looks at his frame, her anger now buried beneath a deep sorrow. “I know you face heavy duties. I know you must navigate the crises of this palace. I witnessed your strength after the attack, and I know you labor to protect this kingdom.”

Kaera draws in a shaky breath, her fingers curling into the fabric of her sleeves. “But I am still your sister, Cael. You left me to face the terror alone, without a single sign to ensure I survived the night.”

Cael’s hands fall to his sides.

“I was standing right there,” she continues. “In my own bedchamber. I was frightened too. Mother had just humiliated me, Father was sick, the palace was falling apart, and you looked at Elara as though nothing else existed.” Her voice cracks. “I kept telling myself it was because she was frightened. Because she was new here. Because she needed you more than I did.” She laughs once, though there is no humor within it. “I kept making excuses for you because you are my brother, and I thought surely you would notice me eventually.”

Another tear slips down her cheek. “But you never did.” Kaera looks away, pressing her lips together as she tries to steady herself. “And then I saw you disappear behind that door with her. Three days, Cael. Three days, and I did not know whether you were sleeping, whether you were eating, whether you had even left the bedchamber.”

She looks back at him. “I was afraid for you.” The words leave her more quietly than everything before them. “And I hated myself for being angry with Elara because of it.”

Cael’s expression falters.