Cairbre was known for showing up unexpectedly, having made a habit out of stirring unease in his younger sister's staff with his presence. Even if he were not the Emperor of Kairos, they would still find a reason to be terrified of the man; Aithne was one of the few people that he genuinely cared about in their family, but that was not saying much. Many of their siblings had betrayed one another to creep their hands slowly closer to the crown.
Silent whispers could be heard from everywhere, yet not a soul was in sight. It was an eerie feeling, to say the very least.
Bits of these hidden conversations caught the ears of the Emperor— "Does she know...?" or "Hopefully his majesty does not...", then lapsed into hurried silence as he strode past. After the staff of Innes Palace had caught wind of his arrival, nearly everyone vanished at the mere sound of his carriage approaching. No one dared to greet him.
The tall figure made its way into the center of the foyer, unfastening the clasps that held the cape on his left shoulder and tossing it towards one of the servants by the door who scrambled to catch it before the precious white silk touched the floor. Cairbre should have been in Hiemal—a neighboring kingdom to the north—for another few weeks. His early return was uncharacteristic of him.
It was clear that he had only recently left the kingdom, still donning formal military garb.
Cairbre's eyes shifted around the room, debating on whether he should go find the princess on his own or simply send for her. "I know she is here somewhere." He placed a hand on his hip and gazed at the monsoon of polished white marble and slate before him. Aithne's palace was somewhat of a labyrinth if one was not used to it. The Emperor was not going to take time to search every room and corridor for his younger sister.
"Cairbre?"
It was Aithne, and her voice seemed almost wavering with awe. The Princess made her way toward the Emperor, letting out a breathless sigh as her astonishment was replaced by annoyance. "What are you doing here? I was told you would be away for at least another month."
"I am on my way home, but I wanted to see you first," he explained, meeting his sister halfway through the lobby.
"The thought is appreciated, but why are you really here?" As soon as she had finished her sentence, a sly grin appeared on Cairbre's face. "You never visit just because you want to see me. What is it?" Aithne queried, quite bluntly. His excuse was fairly believable given that she did live fairly close to the border, but he always had an ulterior motive.
"Come to the capitol, stay with me for a week, then you can go home."
Aithne's eyes fluttered as she processed the proposition. His bluntness was expected, but she was nonetheless displeased. The entire purpose of her moving into Innes, the palace farthest away from Kairos' capital, was to get away from everyone in the royal family—and Cairbre, out of everyone, knew this a bit too well.
"No―," she began, immediately cut off by her brother.
"I mean if you would rather everyone celebrate your birthday at your home... That will work as well. The choice is yours."
"No, no. No need at all," Aithne interjected quickly. "Although, dear brother of mine, I would like to know why you are so set on celebrating my birthday—which is not until the end of next week."
A sense of dread filled her heart as soon as the words left her mouth and the realization slowly set in. Cairbre had something planned. A sly grin turned into something even more mischievous, almost as if he were daring her to ask more questions. As if to prevent herself from trouble, Aithne held up her hands and took a step back.
"Never mind, I do not think I wish to know."
Even if her older brother was absolutely intolerable at times, and she despised their conversations or his plans for whatever else he had in store for her for the next week—she could never tell him no. Just as she was about to turn around and leave, Cairbre grasped onto her arm and pulled her in for a hug.
The two had been through too much together for Aithne to entirely push him away.
Aithne never celebrated her birthday, nor did the majority of her siblings. After her birth, the Emperor declared her his successor, not trusting any of her corrupted siblings to lead the country properly. In his mind, an infant who had yet to taste their kin's blood in the name of a fruitless war was the far better alternative.
The only one of her siblings to respect this decision had been Cairbre, a child only fourteen years older than her. He, alone, had watched three of his other siblings perish by his hand due to their attempts on her life.
If it made Cairbre happy to celebrate her birthday… then perhaps she would not mind putting up with a few drunken relatives for a couple of days. Thankfully, the capitol's castle was quite large—she would only run into someone if she intended to do so. The main concern would be running into any loud-mouthed nieces or nephews—Aithne did not know if she could remain civil if a child were to pester her too much, especially while avoiding the rest of the royal family.
And so, when Cairbre pulled away, holding his hands on her shoulders and gazing proudly at her, she sighed resignedly.
"You will not regret it, I promise, Aithne."
The Princess looked slightly up at her brother, observing the satisfaction on his face before shrugging his hands away. As a tradition, she was dressed more elegantly than usual due to knowing that she would have company of some sort today—a small "research" project of hers, that she had orchestrated. After putting forth that much effort to meet the standard of others for the day, she was not going to have her brother be the reason for someone finding fault in her appearance, even if it were due to a slight wrinkle in her clothing.
Turning around and making her way toward a staircase, she addressed her brother once more. "Just let me know when to leave. I'm busy receiving guests at the moment, so go rest for a while until lunch, Cair."
"Will do!" He proclaimed as he motioned for the servant that held his cape to follow him on his way toward one of the downstairs hallways.
And she could not help but roll her eyes, though a smile made its way onto her face.