"The morning assembly is canceled," Elara said without stopping or looking back. "I am going to the breakfast pavilion. If any of you attempt to follow me with a ledger, I will personally assist Commander Ken with the kinetic calibration."
### The Breakfast Pavilion
The royal breakfast pavilion was a glass-enclosed structure overlooking the imperial gardens. Normally, Elara used this space to interrogate foreign diplomats while they ate. Today, however, there was only one person sitting at the grand marble table.
Julian.
He was already dressed in his crisp, Northern-style formal wear—a dark blue tunic with silver embroidery—but his posture was incredibly relaxed. He was leaning back in his chair, peeling an apple with a small silver knife, bathed in the morning sunlight.
When he heard her footsteps, he looked up. A brilliant, knowing smile spread across his face.
