Aerin knew something was wrong the moment the palace became quiet.
Not peaceful quiet.
Focused quiet.
The kind of quiet that happened when two predators noticed each other and were deciding who would strike first.
He stood in the corridor outside the library, frozen mid-step, as Mira and Elira faced one another across a reading table.
Mira held a book.
Elira held… nothing.
Which was worse.
The Harem Alarm hovered overhead, glowing faintly, as if holding its breath.
"I didn't know assassins were allowed in the library," Mira said pleasantly.
"I am reformed," Elira replied. "Also I can read."
"That's good," Mira nodded. "So can most people."
Aerin tried to back away.
The floor creaked.
Both women turned toward him.
"Aerin," Mira said warmly.
"Aerin," Elira said intensely.
He flinched.
"Yes! Hello! I was just—passing—through—existence—"
Elira stepped closer.
"I have been studying," she announced proudly. "I am learning how to be suitable."
Mira raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"Yes," Elira continued. "I wake early. I do not threaten servants. I only sharpen knives once per day."
Aerin covered his face.
"That's… progress," Mira said carefully.
Elira nodded. "I stopped sleeping outside his door."
"…You did WHAT?" Mira asked.
"I now sleep inside," Elira clarified.
Aerin made a strangled noise.
The Harem Alarm let out a tiny scream and immediately shut up again.
Mira closed her book slowly.
"Elira," she said calmly, "why don't we talk."
Elira smiled. "I accept your challenge."
"It's not a challenge."
"All talks are challenges."
Aerin pointed weakly toward the exit. "I should—go—"
"No," both women said.
He stayed.
The Tea Incident
Mira suggested tea.
This was a mistake.
They sat in the small sitting room overlooking the garden. Sunlight streamed in. Birds chirped. Everything was aggressively serene.
Elira sat straight-backed, hands folded, eyes locked on Mira like she was waiting for instructions… or an opening.
Mira poured tea gracefully.
Elira watched the teapot.
Intensely.
"Is it poisoned?" Elira asked.
"No," Mira replied.
"…Are you sure?"
"Yes."
Elira nodded. "Good. I already drank some earlier."
Aerin choked.
Mira blinked. "You what?"
"It was unattended," Elira said. "That is suspicious."
Aerin grabbed the teacup from her hands. "Please don't drink random things!"
"I am building immunity," Elira said proudly.
Mira rubbed her temple.
"So," Mira said, recovering quickly, "you're staying in the palace."
"Yes," Elira replied. "Indefinitely."
Mira smiled thinly. "As a guest?"
"As a protector," Elira corrected. "And future—"
"NO," Aerin said loudly.
The Harem Alarm buzzed like it had stubbed its toe.
Mira sipped her tea.
"And what makes you think," she asked mildly, "that you are the best match for him?"
Elira did not hesitate.
"I would die for him," she said.
Mira nodded. "That's dramatic."
"I would kill for him."
"That's worse."
"I would watch him sleep to ensure his breathing remains steady."
"That's illegal."
Aerin slid down in his chair.
Mira set her cup down gently.
"Elira," she said, voice still calm, "loving someone isn't about guarding them from the world."
Elira frowned. "Incorrect. The world is dangerous."
Mira smiled sadly. "So is fear."
The Harem Alarm chimed once.
Elira looked confused.
The Walk (That Was Not A Date)
Someone—probably Lina—suggested that Mira and Elira "bond."
This was sabotage.
They walked the palace gardens together with Aerin trailing behind like a condemned man.
Mira pointed out flowers.
"These roses were planted after the eastern treaty," she said.
Elira nodded. "Good cover. Many assassinations occurred during treaties."
Aerin whimpered softly.
Mira stopped by the fountain.
"You don't trust me," she said.
Elira met her gaze. "Correct."
"Why?"
"You are calm," Elira said. "Calm people hide things."
Mira laughed softly. "So do intense ones."
The Harem Alarm hummed.
Aerin stared at it. "Please don't explode."
Elira crossed her arms. "You don't stare at him the way I do."
Mira tilted her head. "That's because I respect him."
Elira recoiled slightly.
"…I also respect him."
"You stare like you're waiting for orders."
"I would accept orders."
Mira sighed.
"Aerin doesn't need a weapon," she said gently. "He needs someone who sees him as a person."
Elira was quiet.
Too quiet.
Aerin glanced at her. "Elira?"
She swallowed.
"I don't know how to do that," she admitted.
The Harem Alarm went silent.
Mira softened immediately.
"Oh," she said. "That explains everything."
The Dinner Disaster
Dinner was supposed to be neutral.
It was not.
Elira sat on one side of Aerin.
Mira sat on the other.
Cassian refused to attend.
"I've seen this battlefield," he said. "No."
Elira cut Aerin's food.
Mira pushed the plate back toward him.
"He can do that himself."
"I am helping."
"You're hovering."
"I am vigilant."
Aerin stabbed a potato too hard.
It flew off the plate.
The Harem Alarm rang.
Mira covered her mouth to hide a laugh.
Elira glared at the potato like it had insulted her family.
"I will deal with it."
"No stabbing vegetables!" Aerin cried.
The servants fled.
Mira leaned closer. "Do you like her?" she asked Aerin quietly.
Elira leaned in at the same time. "Do you like her?" she demanded.
"I—uh—like—peace," Aerin said.
Both women stared.
The alarm buzzed like it was disappointed in all of them.
The Confrontation (Emotional, Unfortunately)
Later that night, Aerin escaped to the balcony.
Mira joined him first.
"I don't want to hurt her," Mira said softly. "She's… broken."
Elira appeared behind them.
"I am not broken," she said. "I am unfinished."
Mira turned. "Then stop treating Aerin like a mission."
Elira clenched her fists. "I don't know any other way."
Aerin stepped forward, heart pounding.
"Elira," he said gently, "you don't have to protect me all the time."
She looked at him.
"I am afraid," she admitted.
"Of what?"
"Of failing," she whispered. "Of losing purpose."
The Harem Alarm glowed warmly.
Mira smiled sadly. "You don't need to earn affection by bleeding for it."
Elira blinked rapidly.
"…Is this what normal feels like?" she asked.
"Yes," Mira said. "Uncomfortable. Unclear. Slow."
Elira nodded once.
"I will try," she said.
Then she turned to Mira.
"…I will not stab you."
Mira laughed. "That's a good start."
The King Who Was Chosen (A Little)
They stood together under the stars.
Not rivals.
Not friends.
Something else.
Aerin looked between them.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I don't know what I'm doing."
Mira smiled. "Neither do we."
Elira nodded. "But we are learning."
The Harem Alarm chimed softly.
No warnings.
No countdowns.
Just… patience.
For the first time, Aerin didn't feel hunted.
He felt seen.
And somewhere deep inside the palace, chaos rested.
Briefly.