"Silver lining?" Ezra’s head perks up at that, the shift almost immediate, his brows pulling together as confusion replaces the heaviness in his expression. How could there possibly be a silver lining for Helios’ poor choices?

"The reason I told you this is actually because I have been meaning to look for them."

"For them?" Ezra had to confirm, his voice quieter now, careful, like he didn’t want to misunderstand something this important. His chest tightened slightly, already anticipating the answer, even if it didn’t fully make sense in his mind yet.

"The members of your squad," Kaelis says, meeting his gaze properly now. "The ones who led while you were away."

Ezra’s eyes widened.

Something in his chest shifted, quick and sudden, like a breath he didn’t realize he was holding finally loosened just a little.

"That is great, Your Highness."

The words came out faster than he expected.

Because it was.

It really was.

He had been wanting to see them again.

To confirm they were okay.

To ask questions, he didn’t even know how to start forming.

But he never knew how.

Never knew where to even begin looking.

And now—

With Kaelis—

It was possible.

’Leomord...Friendrinn...’ Ezra thought, his fingers loosening slightly against his palm, the names surfacing without effort. ’Are you...okay?’

However—

Something didn’t sit right.

"Wh,y though?" Ezra asks, tilting his head slightly, his tone shifting again, curiosity mixing with caution. "What do they have to do with this...actually..."

His voice trails off.

Because now that he thought about it—

Really thought about it—

None of this was random.

Not the timing.

Not the way Kaelis brought things up.

Not the way he seemed to already know what to say, when to say it.

"I asked you about Prince Helios," Ezra continues slowly, his gaze narrowing just a bit as he tries to piece things together. "But now that I think about it, why have you been waiting to tell me about all his lies? As if it has concerned you for a long time...why..."

His expression tightened.

The question sat heavier now.

More direct.

"Why have you been trying to let me see the truth the past few days?"

Kaelis fully turns to him, raising an eyebrow slightly, but there was something else there too, something steadier.

"You’re smart," Kaelis says, his tone calm, almost expectant. "You’re asking the exact right questions right now. Why don’t you answer that question for me?"

He pauses just slightly.

"The answer that you, yourself, might have been denying all this time," he continues, his gaze not leaving Ezra’s, "and that’s why you’re so defensive."

Ezra blinked.

Once.

Slowly.

’...he’s not even trying to soften it,’ Ezra thought, something tightening in his chest again, but this time it wasn’t confusion. It was something closer to realization.

Okay.

Wow.

Kaelis was more...human than he thought.

But not in the way he expected.

Not softer.

Not easier.

Just—

Honest.

Too honest.

If Helios was someone who hid things behind words—

Kaelis was the opposite.

And it hit harder than Ezra expected.

But Kaelis was right.

That was the worst part.

Ezra felt it.

The way his chest tightened.

The way his thoughts resisted for a second—

Before giving in.

It made his head hurt to admit it.

"Your suspect..." Ezra says slowly, his voice quieter now, heavier, like the words themselves carried weight. "It’s Prince Helios, right?"

The question hung there.

But it wasn’t really a question anymore.

Only yesterday—

He had been denying it.

Pushing it away.

Putting others in that place instead.

Circe.

Alyce.

Anyone but him.

But now—

Now it was different.

Because the one who stood out the most—

The one who had the most inconsistencies—

Was the one who had been lying to him.

Kaelis sighed.

Not in frustration.

But in relief.

"Yes," Kaelis says, his shoulders easing just slightly. "Helios is one of the suspects."

He didn’t hesitate.

Didn’t try to soften it.

"I can’t lie to you, much to my father’s future dismay," Kaelis adds, a faint edge of honesty still present in his tone, "but I want you to know now. Especially now that you’ve known the truth."

Ezra stayed silent.

Listening.

Processing everything.

"I’ve suspected Helios ever since we were teens," Kaelis continues, his gaze drifting just slightly, like he was recalling something further back. "Even just around the time he...found you."

That made something in Ezra’s chest drop.

Just slightly.

But enough.

’Even then?’ Ezra thought, his fingers tightening again, the weight of it settling deeper than before, quieter but heavier, like it had always been there and he just refused to see it.

"I can’t lie when I tell you that choosing you was a strategic choice, Ezra," Kaelis says, his voice steady, direct in a way that didn’t try to soften the meaning. "You are the closest to my brother than anyone; he trusts you, and he might suspect you the least when it comes to the investigation."

Ezra didn’t react right away.

The words sank in first.

Slowly.

"So you want me to be a spy?" Ezra asks, his tone neutral, but there was something under it now, something sharper. "Above helping you?"

"Basically, yes." Kaelis nods without hesitation. "You have to understand, my brothers and I, we aren’t as close as we let everyone perceive, we—"

"You don’t have to explain."

Ezra cuts him off.

Not harsh.

But firm enough that Kaelis actually stopped.

Kaelis was obviously stunned at that, and of course, he would be.

Up until this point, Ezra had done nothing but defend Helios.

Every time.

Without fail.

But now—

That wasn’t happening.

Because this wasn’t just about Helios anymore.

Lior was involved.

The Cultists knew he was an omega.

That alone changed everything.

As much as his loyalty for Helios, for being his friend all these years, was still there—

It wasn’t as strong.

Not anymore.

Because something else stood above it now.

His son.

And nothing—

No one—

Would ever come before that.

Not even Helios.

Especially not Helios.

Not after everything.

Not after the lies.

"Prince Helios and his doctor are the only ones who know that I’m an Omega," Ezra continues, his voice quieter now, but more focused, more grounded. "Well, you as well by default."

He paused.

Thinking.

Actually thinking this through now.

"But if you suspect Prince Helios, there is a high chance that his closest aides could be suspicious too," Ezra adds, his gaze lowering slightly as the pieces began to move in his head. "Start with the—"

He stopped.

Mid-sentence.

His body went still.

Completely still.

Something clicked.

Not gradually.

Not slowly.

All at once.

And it was wrong.

So wrong that it made his stomach drop.

’No...’

Ezra froze.

His breath caught slightly, his mind racing ahead faster than he could process, connecting things he didn’t want to connect.

Something horrifying.

Something he hadn’t considered before.

"What?" Kaelis asks immediately, his tone shifting, sharper now, more alert as he leans forward slightly. "What is it?"