"You're rather late, Myrcella," Aslan chided, his tone tinged with exasperation.
Twirling her bangs with her fingers, Myrcella responded nonchalantly, "I wanted to avoid the boring discussion, and it seems I succeeded."
"Myrcella." Alea's sudden rise from her seat caught everyone off guard.
"Erm..." Myrcella's fingers froze mid-twirl as she met Alea's serious gaze.
"Hello…" Raising her hand awkwardly, Myrcella attempted a greeting, but before she could finish, Alea was upon her, enveloping her in a tight embrace.
"Stop it! It's embarrassing!" Myrcella protested, her muffled voice barely audible through her mask.
Ignoring Myrcella's protests, Alea continued to affectionately rub her head with her fist, a mischievous grin spreading across her face.
"You little rascal!" Alea exclaimed, her voice filled with fondness. "You didn't even consider showing up once, did you?!"
