(Opening Scene: Lady Elara Montaigne kneels beside the unconscious Prince Lysander, her brow furrowed in concern as she examines him. Astrid sits calmly on her bed, Eclipse still nestled in her lap, observing the scene with a detached air.)
Lady Elara looked up at Astrid, her voice sharp with disbelief. "Worse? Astrid, he is unconscious! What could possibly be worse than a royal prince collapsing in your chambers?"
Astrid shrugged, a hint of her earlier amusement returning. "Well, Eclipse could have actually harmed him, Aunt Elara. As it is, he's merely… indisposed. A temporary setback, I'm sure." She stroked Eclipse's smooth scales, a clear affection in her touch.
Lady Elara stared at her niece, her suspicion growing with each nonchalant word. "Are you suggesting that creature has the ability to inflict serious harm? What exactly did it do to him?" She gestured to Lysander's still form. "He didn't just faint from shock, Astrid. There's something else at play here." Her gaze flickered back to the faint grayish marks on the prince's forearm.
Astrid offered a carefully innocent smile. "Eclipse is… protective. He simply wanted Lysander to understand that I prefer not to be… pressured." She deliberately avoided mentioning the unusual color of the venom or its potential effects.
Lady Elara rose, her eyes narrowed, her gaze fixed intently on Eclipse. "That 'protection' resulted in a royal prince losing consciousness in your room. This is not a trivial matter, Astrid. This… familiar… of yours is clearly dangerous, and its influence on you is becoming increasingly concerning."
She took a step towards Astrid, her tone firm. "I want that creature examined. By the academy healers, by someone who understands magical familiars. We need to know what it is capable of."
Astrid's calm demeanor wavered slightly, a hint of defensiveness entering her voice. "There is nothing wrong with Eclipse, Aunt Elara. He was merely… making his point."
"His 'point' has incapacitated a royal prince!" Lady Elara exclaimed, her patience clearly wearing thin. "This ends now, Astrid. That creature will be assessed, and your interactions with that void mage will cease immediately. This situation is spiraling out of control."
The tension in the room thickened, the unspoken conflict between Astrid's growing affection for Zane and her familiar, and her aunt's staunch adherence to duty and political alliances, reaching a boiling point.