To Welcome A Prince

"Hello, Uncle," Aldric greeted, a fiendish smirk playing across his features as he tilted his head, studying his mother's brother. Her illegitimate brother—the one flaw that prevented the Fae from asserting his permanent claim to the Winter throne. 

Mindful of bloodlines, the Fae held strict adherence to lineage, a fact that played to Aldric's advantage. Unlike in Astaria, where his rightful claim to the throne as the strongest heir was deliberately denied, Aldric knew he was the rightful heir to the Winter Court, regardless of his dark Fae heritage. 

Karle on the other hand, was born of the father's affair with a maid, rendering him a mere half-blooded Fae and ineligible for full royal status.