"I remind you that this is the first official public appearance of the Emperor and his Consort outside the court. You are not staff tonight. You are representation."
Alexandra muttered, "We were civil servants an hour ago."
"And now you're political artillery," Edward replied. "Kindly dress the part."
That's when the protests began.
Julian closed his folder a little too loudly. "I assumed I'd be attending with my husband's household. My formalwear is in the city."
Alexandra crossed her arms. "My things are at home. And if you think I'm wearing one of those scratchy imperial backups, I will throw it out a window."
Rafael tried not to look panicked. "I wasn't even invited. My name's not on any seating chart—I checked. I was told I'd be assisting with backlogged correspondence and not moving."
Only Irina looked calm, a faint smile playing on her lips as she continued organizing the red-marked forms.
