The news came without warning.
Serenil stood still, the sealed scroll in his hand already opened and read twice over. His expression remained neutral—emotionless as ever—but a small, almost imperceptible shift in his posture gave away the weight of the message.
"I must return to Faeloria. At once."
Astarotte, still catching her breath from their morning sparring, looked up in surprise. "Huh? Why? Did something happen?"
Serenil's violet gaze flicked toward her. "The Beastmen Kingdom has declared intent to wage war upon Faeloria."
"What!?" Oberyn dropped the wooden practice blade he'd been twirling. "That's madness. Out of nowhere?"
"It isn't without cause. Tensions have been building along the borderlands for years," Serenil said quietly. "But this… is something else. The Council believes they have discovered a means to avoid open war."
Astarotte tilted her head, confused. "What kind of 'means'…?"
Serenil closed the scroll.
"Marriage. They want me to marry the Beastmen Princess."
The field fell into stunned silence.