"What's going on?" Lloyd asked, looking between me and my father.
"Dad's mad at Harumi for waking me up too loudly," I explained, holding onto Harumi's hand tightly.
"Oh, I see," Zane said, his expression unreadable as always.
"Well, your father does have a point," Nya said gently. "We don't want to disturb the peace in the palace."
"But I don't want Harumi to be grounded," I protested. "It was my fault for not waking up earlier."
Everyone looked at me in surprise, clearly not expecting me to stick up for Harumi like that. My father sighed and looked at me, his expression softening slightly.
"Very well," he said reluctantly. "But Harumi needs to be more mindful of her noise level in the future."
Harumi grinned at me in gratitude, and I smiled back. It felt good to stand up for my sister and protect her, even if it meant going against my father's rules.
