Ezra ended up cutting his tea party with Alyce short, much to Lior’s dismay.

It hadn’t even been that long, not enough for Lior, who had just started enjoying himself, just started getting comfortable in Alyce’s garden with the cookies and the attention.

It wasn’t as disappointing to Lior, though, considering the reason why they were leaving too early was because of Kaelis.

That alone seemed to make it easier for him to accept.

"Where are we going?" Ezra turns to Lior, who had happily asked a question, his small face bright with curiosity, completely unaffected by the shift in mood that Ezra himself couldn’t ignore.

Ezra felt...off.

There was no other way to describe it.

He felt sad.

He felt empty.

He felt betrayed.

And it all sat in his chest at once, heavy and unmoving, like no matter how he tried to sort through it, it wouldn’t settle into something he could understand.

But that wasn’t Lior’s fault.

So Ezra tried.

He forced his lips to move, forced something that resembled a smile, even if it felt wrong on his face, even if it didn’t reach his eyes.

He opened his mouth to answer—

However, Kaelis answered for him.

"We’re going to your new home," Kaelis answers with a gentle smile on his face, his tone softer when directed at Lior, more natural, like it didn’t require effort.

"New home?" Lior asks innocently, tilting his head as he looks between them, clearly not fully understanding yet.

Ezra wanted to explain.

He wanted to be the one to say it.

But then Kaelis looked at him.

Just briefly.

And mouthed a few words.

"I can handle it."

Ezra’s eyes widened.

He almost had to double-take, almost wasn’t sure if he had seen it right.

’He’s...being considerate?’

It felt strange.

Unexpected.

But then again, this whole time Kaelis had been surprisingly considerate, in ways Ezra hadn’t expected, in ways he didn’t know how to react to.

Ezra didn’t argue.

He didn’t have it in him to argue.

For today, Ezra’s goal to get Lior away from his father wasn’t going to happen today, because he had no energy left to even try.

Everything in him felt drained.

So he lets Kaelis handle it.

"To make sure you’re safe, like I said yesterday, you and your—"

Ezra tuned them out.

As they rode inside the carriage, the steady movement settling into a rhythm, he leaned slightly toward the window, letting his gaze drift outside without really focusing on anything.

The scenery passed by.

It was blurred.

And mostly unimportant.

He felt stupid.

The thought came without warning, sharp and immediate.

He felt so fucking stupid.

Both because he actually believed in a lie for fifteen years, and for still feeling like he shouldn’t feel so betrayed.

That part confused him the most.

He didn’t understand why he was hesitating.

Why was he holding back?

He was in between wanting to be angry and feeling like he didn’t want to be angry.

Like he was trying to stop himself from reacting the way he should.

But wasn’t it because he was conditioned?

The thought came slower this time, heavier.

He was fooled into thinking that the man who saved him before even being in the palace was the same one who, well, brought him to the palace.

That was what he built everything on.

That was what made it all make sense.

Helios still did save him.

That part was real.

But their relationship—

It was built on a lie.

And until now, he didn’t even know how many other lies Helios had told him, and he had all the nerve to be the one who felt betrayed and angry.

However...

’Do I even have the right?’

Yes.

What was he even thinking?

Of course, he had the right to get angry, too

To feel betrayed, too.

They were supposed to be friends.

The thought sat heavier than everything else.

Not a knight and a prince.

Not just loyalty and duty.

Friends.

Or at least...that was what Ezra believed they were.

His jaw tightened slightly as he looked away from the window, his gaze dropping for a moment before lifting again, unfocused, like he was trying to look past everything crowding his mind and failing.

’Then who gave me the bread?’ Ezra thought, the question coming back again, stubborn, refusing to leave him alone,e no matter how much he tried to move past it.

If it wasn’t Helios—

Then who?

And why was Helios there that day?

Why did he claim he was the one who gave the bread? What did he even get from lying about something like that?

Just after returning from Alyce’s kingdom.

That timing—

It didn’t feel like a coincidence anymore.

It felt placed.

Like something that was meant to happen that way.

’Was he just...there?’ Ezra wondered, his brows pulling together faintly, his fingers curling slightly against his sleeve. ’Or was he waiting for something?’

Waiting for him?

The thought didn’t sit right.

It made something in his chest tighten again, uncomfortable in a way he couldn’t easily brush off.

Nothing about it felt right.

His eyes shifted, almost without thinking, landing on Kaelis.

Kaelis was still talking.

Still smiling.

Lior was now sitting comfortably on his lap, completely at ease, his small hands moving animatedly as he spoke, his voice bright with excitement, whatever Kaelis had told him clearly keeping his full attention.

And Kaelis—

Kaelis was listening.

Actually listening.

Not just nodding along.

Not just humoring him.

Responding in a way that didn’t feel forced or distant.

It was easy.

It came naturally to him. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Ezra watched them for a second longer than he meant to, his gaze lingering before he caught himself.

’He looks...fine,’ Ezra thought, his lips pressing together faintly before he forced himself to look away again. ’Like nothing’s wrong.’

It annoyed him.

Just a little.

Not because Kaelis was doing anything wrong.

But because Ezra couldn’t do the same.

He couldn’t just sit there and talk like nothing had changed.

He couldn’t pretend everything was still the same as it was a few days ago.

Because something had changed.

A lot had.

Ezra exhaled quietly through his nose, leaning back slightly against his seat, letting the movement of the carriage settle into his bones.

’Stop,’ he told himself, his fingers pressing lightly against his arm, grounding himself with the small pressure. ’Stop thinking about it like this.’

Wallowing wasn’t going to fix anything.

It wasn’t going to give him answers.

It wasn’t going to make any of this easier to deal with.

If anything, it just made everything feel heavier, harder to carry.

And he didn’t have the luxury to sit in it.

Not now.

Not when things were already shifting around him, whether he was ready or not.

’Use it,’ Ezra thought instead, his gaze lowering slightly as his expression hardened just a bit, something steadier settling in beneath the mess of everything else. ’If I feel this way, then fine. I’ll use it.’

If there was ever a time to stop holding back—

It was now.

He didn’t feel as guilty anymore.

Not for not telling Helios right away that he was moving.

Not for working closely with Kaelis.

Not for making decisions without waiting for Helios to return.

He still planned to confront him.

That wasn’t going to change.

But the hurt—

The hurt was there now.

It sat in his chest, quiet but constant, and it wasn’t something he could ignore anymore,e even if he wanted to.

’Maybe this is better,’ Ezra thought, his gaze drifting again, but this time it didn’t feel as scattered. It felt more focused, more deliberate. ’At least I’m not pretending everything is fine.’

Because it wasn’t.

Not even close.

In just a few days apart—

He couldn’t stop his own disappointment anymore.

And that alone said enough.

Ezra’s thoughts slowed just slightly after that, not gone, but quieter, less overwhelming, like they had finally settled into something he could carry without it swallowing him whole.

Enough for him to notice when the carriage began to slow.

The shift in movement was subtle at first, the rhythm changing just enough to be felt, then more obvious as the wheels rolled to a gradual stop, the faint sound of gravel underneath becoming clearer.

Kaelis’ voice followed soon after.

"We’re here," he says, his tone light, almost casual, like nothing had weighed on him the entire ride. "I already had your things moved earlier, so everything should be ready."

’I feel like I should be mad at that.’

Ezra looked up.

Just slightly.

Not fully meeting his eyes.

Because Kaelis didn’t tell him that their things would be moved without permission, didn’t even give him the chance to agree or refuse, and under normal circumstances, Ezra would’ve said something about it.

He would’ve questioned it.

Pushed back, even.

But right now—

He didn’t have the strength for it.

Didn’t have the energy to care about something like that on top of everything else.

"I’ll be guiding you to your new home," Kaelis added, adjusting Lior carefully, his hands steady as he helped him down from his lap like it was something he was already used to doing.

Ezra didn’t respond right away.

He just nodded silently, the movement small, almost automatic, like he didn’t trust himself to say anything more than that.

’Focus on this,’ Ezra thought as he moved, his hand instinctively reaching for Lior once they stepped down from the carriage, his fingers settling lightly on the child’s shoulder like he needed that contact more than usual. ’Just focus on the move.’

"Hurray! It’s the big castle!" Lior exclaims, his voice bright and loud, his whole face lighting up as he looks ahead, already bouncing slightly on his feet.

Ezra follows his gaze.

The palace stood tall in front of them, imposing in a way that should have felt overwhelming, but somehow didn’t, not right now.

It was grand, polished, everything it was meant to be, but Ezra didn’t let himself linger on it for too long.

Instead, he looks back down at Lior.

Ezra smiles a bit at him. "Are you excited?"

"Super duper!"

The answer comes without hesitation, pure and simple, untouched by everything else that Ezra was carrying.

Ezra’s smile lingers just a second longer.

It was small.

But real enough.

Out of everything happening—

This was the easiest thing to deal with.

A move.

A new place.

Something physical.

Something that didn’t require him to think too deeply.

’This should be fine,’ Ezra told himself, taking a small breath as he straightened, his shoulders settling just slightly as he adjusted his grip on Lior. ’Focusing on the move. Nothing frustrating is going to happen just from this.’

Right?