Chapter 7 - # **Chapter 7: The Reluctant Bloom**

Queen Isolde cornered Alaric in the library, a dusty tome in her hands—Druidic Secrets of the Greenheart. "You're more than a prince," she said, her voice soft but insistent, hazel eyes searching his. He skimmed it, groaning, "More work. Perfect." The pages spoke of ancient plant magic, tied to a mythical seed. Curiosity tugged—he slipped into the gardens at dusk, the air thick with jasmine and crickets.Focusing, he turned vines into glowing whips, their tips slicing a stone bench in half. "Neat. Still not fighting," he said, then snagged a pie from the kitchen window with one, grinning as a cook shrieked. "Priorities." Mira caught him, leaning against a pillar. "Training for dessert?" she teased, twirling a dagger. He shrugged. "Gotta fuel the laziness." She tossed it at his chest; he deflected with a vine whip, smirking. "Spar with me, weed boy." He sighed, vines coiling. "Fine, but don't cry when you lose." She lunged, blade flashing, and he parried with bark-covered arms, their laughter echoing through the night.