It was one of those mandatory family meetings held at the main palace. Naturally, Aria had to attend—though, at two years old, she didn't exactly have a say in it. As the grand hall filled with high-ranking nobles and royalty, Aria sat quietly beside her mother, observing.
It didn't take her long to realize one thing:This family was a SHIT.
The atmosphere was heavy. The Crown Prince, the Duke of the North, and Duchess Selene were all siblings—but the tension between them could be cut with a blade. Selene, the middle child, stayed composed but cold. The Crown Prince, Liam, wore a fake smile. And Theodore, the Duke of the North, sat silently, his sharp gaze watching everything… including Aria.
Aria's attention locked onto Theodore. He was staring at her, and oddly enough, she didn't feel afraid. There was something familiar about him—a strange presence that tugged at a fragmented memory from one of her past lives. That sense of déjà vu made her tiny feet move on their own.
As the meeting ended, Aria toddled across the hall toward the Duke. Her soft voice echoed:
"Up! Up!"
The entire room stilled. Theodore blinked in surprise as the small girl reached out toward him.
They weren't close. In fact, he and Selene barely spoke beyond necessity. Yet the child—Selene's daughter—was holding out her arms for him.
Reluctantly, he leaned down and picked her up. Aria's small hands reached for his face, gently touching his cheek, her brows furrowed in deep thought like she was trying to remember something important.
"What do you want, kid?" Theodore asked, raising an eyebrow.
Aria blinked up at him and muttered, "You… meanee…" Her expression was serious, but her mispronunciation made everyone burst into laughter.
"See? Even Aria figured it out," Crown Prince Liam said, chuckling. He stepped forward with a grin and stretched out his hands.
"Come to Uncle Liam!"
But Aria turned her head and wrapped her arms tightly around Theodore's neck, refusing to let go.
Liam gasped. "You don't like me?" he asked, lips dramatically pouting.
But Aria ignored him completely, snuggling closer to the Duke. Her breathing slowed as comfort washed over her in his arms—so much so that she fell asleep right there on his shoulder.
Selene didn't speak at first. She just stared at her daughter, now peacefully drooling on the shoulder of the man she barely tolerated.
Theodore didn't know what to do with the warm little bundle in his arms. His stiff posture suggested he hadn't held a child in years—if ever. Yet Aria clung to him like he was her favorite pillow.
Crown Prince Liam narrowed his eyes. "She fell asleep on him. On him of all people," he muttered, hands on his hips like a scolded older brother.
Selene raised a brow. "Jealous?"
Liam scoffed. "Absolutely."
Theodore finally broke the silence, his voice calm but laced with confusion. "She called me a 'meanee' and still fell asleep on me. What logic does that follow?"
Selene walked over and carefully tucked a blanket around Aria's small shoulders while still in Theodore's arms. Her touch was gentle, but her eyes briefly met her brother's with something unreadable.
"She chooses people who feel safe," Selene said softly. "Whether they understand why or not."
The room stayed quiet after that.
Later that day, when Selene tried to take Aria back, the girl whimpered and tightened her hold on Theodore's tunic. Everyone, including Liam, watched in disbelief.
Selene sighed and gave in. "Fine. You can carry her to the carriage."
"Why do I feel like I just lost custody in a royal battle?" she added under her breath, smirking.
From that moment on, things began to shift.
Theodore, who rarely visited the South, now made excuses to stop by. And though he never said it out loud, his private study soon had a small corner furnished with children's books and quiet toys.
As for Crown Prince Liam—he upped his game. Aria began receiving gifts from the palace almost daily: enchanted picture books, rare fruit candies, and one magically singing fox plush that gave Kaelen a heart attack the first time it talked.
And Aria?
Pampered by her fearsome mother, watched over by her battle-hardened father, visited by a silent uncle and a pouty prince…
And from that day on, the number of people regularly visiting Aria quietly grew… now including two very unexpected names:The Crown Prince and the Duke of the North.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Far above the mortal lands, in a realm untouched by time, a ripple shimmered across a silver pool of stars.
A group of figures, draped in light and shadow, gathered around it. Their eyes were fixed not on the rising sun or the kingdoms of men — but on a tiny girl curled asleep in the arms of the Duke of the North.
"She's already charming the coldest one," one said with a soft laugh, the sound like wind through chimes.