The Omega Knight's Secret Baby Daddy is A PRINCE?!-Chapter 32: The Prince and His Knight.

"I apologize for not visiting you yesterday," Helios said as they walked.

His voice was low, thoughtful. "I don’t recall if I promised I would, but still. I wanted to speak with you privately. After all... it has been five years."

They moved through the compound together. Or rather, Helios did.

Ezra kept trying to lag half a step behind, mindful of rank and appearances.

Every time he slowed, Helios matched him without comment, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

’If anyone sees us like this...’ Ezra thought, unease prickling at the back of his neck.

Helios had always been like this in private. Softer. More attentive.

It was a version of him Ezra had learned to recognize and, if he were honest, fear just a little.

In private, they had been close. Too close for a knight and a prince.

Their bond had been forged early, through shared danger and quiet moments between battles.

Helios had done everything in his power to keep Ezra safe, comfortable, and secure. Even now, Ezra lived a life that existed because Helios had willed it so.

And Helios had believed in him.

Despite Ezra being an omega.

So yes, Ezra was fond of him.

And for reasons Ezra had never fully understood, Helios had always seemed fond of him too.

"It’s no problem, Your Highness," Ezra replied carefully. "I understand you’re busy. And..." He glanced aside, choosing his words. "...you still made time for me today."

"Always," Helios answered without hesitation.

The word landed heavier than it should have.

Ezra felt a small smile tug at his lips before he could stop it. It faded just as quickly when reality caught up with him.

"Alyce took up much of my time yesterday with... details about our future wedding," Helios continued. "It’s strange, really, since it’s her court that keeps postponing it."

He let out a quiet breath, almost amused. "She seems eager to see it happen this year."

Ezra nodded, his expression calm and respectful.

Inside, something tightened.

’There it is,’ Ezra thought. ’Damn it.’

It had always been there, faint and manageable, something he could tuck away and ignore.

But this time, it pressed harder against his ribs, sharp enough that he had to consciously keep his breathing steady.

This was the first time he’d heard it said so plainly.

That Alyce wanted to get married. That it wasn’t just obligation or politics anymore, but intention.

’Of course she does,’ he told himself. ’Why wouldn’t she?’

Helios was an amazing man.

If Ezra were honest, he’d always known this was coming.

Five years was a long time. Helios wasn’t young anymore, and neither was Alyce. It would have been stranger if Helios were still unmarried by now.

And yet.

Some small, foolish part of him had hoped.

Hoped that if he ever returned, Helios would still be... Helios.

The same prince who laughed too easily with his knight. The same man who trusted him with his back on the battlefield. The same quiet presence who made Ezra feel like he belonged somewhere.

Just the two of them.

A prince and his knight.

The knight and his prince.

But Ezra hadn’t returned alone.

And Helios would not stay unwed forever.

The wedding might happen this year, the very year Ezra returns with Lior.

The thought settled uncomfortably in his chest.

If Helios married Alyce, it wouldn’t be long until they would produce an heir.

If Alyce gives Helios a son.

Ezra’s long dream will finally happen. The very purpose Ezra wanted to fulfill.

Helios would become king.

A legitimate king, with his powerful queen.

And when Helios became king...

’That’s when I leave,’ Ezra thought. ’For real this time.’

With Lior.

Far, far away–

"Ez—"

He almost missed Helios calling his name.

"Ezra?"

His fingers twitched slightly before he turned his head. "Yes?"

Helios was watching him closely now, concern etched into his expression. "You seem distracted," he said gently. "Are you feeling alright?"

Ezra forced a small smile, one he had perfected years ago. The kind that reassures without revealing anything.

"I’m fine," he said. "Just... adjusting. It’s been a while."

Helios didn’t look fully convinced.

Ezra could see it in Helios’s eyes.

The way his gaze lingered just a moment too long, sharp and searching, as if he were trying to peel Ezra apart layer by layer until something gave.

Ezra had already braced himself.

The quiet lecture.

The disappointed sigh.

The gentle but firm reminder about honesty.

Helios hated it when Ezra lied about how he felt.

And he had good reason to.

There had been incidents in the past. Moments when Ezra had brushed things off until they turned dangerous, until Helios had learned the hard way that "I’m fine" from Ezra rarely meant he actually was.

Since then, Helios has become stricter. More watchful.

And that terrified Ezra more than any scolding ever could.

’I can’t,’ Ezra thought, his chest tightening. ’I really can’t tell you.’

He was already preparing to insist again, to repeat the lie and hold his ground, when Helios suddenly reached out and grabbed his arm.

"Helios?" Ezra blurted out, startled as he was pulled forward. "Where are we...?"

Helios didn’t answer.

He didn’t slow down either.

Ezra stumbled half a step before matching his pace, confusion coiling in his stomach.

They veered off the main path, away from the open corridors and the occasional servant passing by, toward a quieter stretch of the compound where footsteps were rare and voices didn’t carry.

’This feels... familiar,’ Ezra thought uneasily.

Then he saw it.

The hedge.

A towering wall of greenery rose before them, thick and carefully maintained, leaves overlapping so densely it looked solid.

To anyone else, it was just another ornamental bush meant to beautify the palace grounds.

Ezra’s breath caught.

’When he said he wanted to talk in private...’

Helios stopped in front of it and finally released Ezra’s arm, only to place his palm against the leaves. He pressed forward in a way that looked almost thoughtless, practiced.

The hedge shifted.

’...I didn’t think he meant this kind of private,’ Ezra realized.

The leaves parted smoothly and silently, revealing a narrow opening hidden deep within the greenery.

Ezra froze.

His heart sank and soared at the same time, a strange, painful mix of dread and familiarity twisting in his chest.

"This is..." His voice came out softer than he meant it to.

Helios glanced back at him, his expression unreadable. "Do you still remember?"

Of course he did.

How could he ever forget?

The hidden garden.

A place that wasn’t on any maps. A place Helios had shown him years ago with a conspiratorial grin, swearing that no one else knew about it.

A place Helios had claimed as his alone.

And then, quietly, had shared with Ezra years ago.