"IMPERIAL GENERAL ZAYDEN SYLVARIS AND EIRAN SYLVARIS ARE ENTERING!" Announced the guards.

The tall golden doors opened.

Soren turned, wondering if Ren hadn’t come with them. He spotted Ren slipping quietly behind Zayden like a shadow as they entered.

The servant wore a neatly tailored shirt, almost matching Eiran’s and Zayden’s dark green suits.

The Crown Prince smiled, amused at the sight.

Ah, this is rich.

Zayden, acting all composed and indifferent, and Ren, not caring whether the General looked his way or not, his gaze focused on what stood ahead.

Classic.

And yet... Soren couldn’t forget the way Zayden’s gaze lingered on the servant, the tiny curve of his lips whenever Ren’s name was mentioned although he tried to force a frown on his face... And how fear-filled his eyes were when he saw the servant fall. Anyone with eyes could see it. He was completely smitten by this man.

Soren stifled a chuckle. His younger brother, so careful and proud, was utterly undone by the boy who followed him like a shadow.

And the best part?

Zayden, who would have denied it to anyone—probably even to himself—ended up confessing to his older brother. He hated being called a demon and yet, he was no less prideful than one.

Soren shook his head, smiling faintly as the three bowed, greeting the Emperor, Empress, Queen, and Crown Prince. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

I shouldn’t meddle in their personal lives.

"Look at you! Coming so late," the Emperor complained.

"Your Imperial Majesty, this is my son. And this is—" Zayden paused.

The word partner lingered on the tip of his tongue, almost slipping out. His heart thumped faster than he expected. Was it because he had heard so for years? Or was it from a longing he had buried deep, one he never allowed himself to name?

"This is...?" The Empress smiled softly, her gaze fixed on Ren.

Ren tried to remain calm, though his body stiffened under the weight of so many curious eyes. Every glance, every subtle shift in attention made him hyperaware. If he could, he would have vanished from the room entirely. But he had to be here. For Eiran.

Zayden’s lips pressed into a thin line. He forced a small bow, letting the word die on his tongue, but the unspoken thought lingered between them, heavier than the first time he lifted a dragon’s corpse.

"Eiran’s father," he finally said.

"Oh! I could see this from miles away," the Emperor stated, although the Empress raised an eyebrow.

"If I remember correctly, you told me that—" Leon began, cut off halfway by Zayden.

"Mother! Dad!" Zayden quickly moved to sit beside Leon to stop him. He would need to dig a hole for himself if he were to speak about everything he had discussed with him so far.

Leon chuckled, exchanging a glance with the Empress, who subtly signaled for him not to tease their son too much.

Ren looked at them, perplexed. The man sitting beside the Emperor was the same one who had attended Eiran’s banquet with another man.

The Archduke...

He hadn’t paid much attention back then, too focused on his plan to leave the mansion. But now, he couldn’t help but be curious.

A warm grip around his wrist snapped him back to reality. When he followed the touch, he found Eiran looking up at him with sparkling eyes.

"Papa, these are the ones Dad told us about?" he whispered, his small hand flattened near his mouth.

"Shh." Ren gently pressed a finger against his lips. "Go sit beside your Dad."

Eiran paused, wanting to ask right away about his real dad—the person Zayden had mentioned earlier. The one his Papa loved but who hadn’t been present in their lives for the past few years.

But he held back. Even as a child, he knew when and where to speak of certain things.

"Ren, Eiran, come and sit," Zayden quickly called for them, realizing they hadn’t taken a seat yet.

Is this how married men feel when they have to appease their parents, partner, and children?

He shook his head. How complicated.

Ren guided Eiran toward the table, his movements composed, though his pulse betrayed him.

The soft scrape of chairs against marble echoed as the servants pulled them for them. They sat down—Eiran beside Zayden, Ren just a little farther away, as though that small distance could keep the room’s tension from reaching him. Now that he came, regret began to crawl under his skin.

Perhaps he shouldn’t have.

This was a family gathering and Ren wasn’t part of it.

Servants began to serve the food, their movements delicate and flawless. They had all been trained under the Empress’s head maid before being sent to the main royal palace.

The Emperor’s voice cut through the silence, light yet commanding. "So this is the child I’ve heard so much about. The Queen wouldn’t stop talking about you since he returned from that banquet."

Eiran straightened immediately, remembering his manners. "Good evening, Your Majesty," he said with a polite bow that drew a faint chuckle from Leon.

"Ah, such a well-mannered boy," the Empress remarked. "He looks just like—"

"Like his Papa," Zayden interrupted smoothly, his tone a little too quick, a little too defensive.

Ren glanced at him, startled. He didn’t expect Zayden to actually acknowledge it.

Without proof.

Did he truly trust him?

A faint smile formed on his lips. Just the fact that one person acknowledged his relationship with Eiran made it seem like he hadn’t been living in a lie, in a delusional world. That he was right.

Their gazes met for a fleeting moment—brief, almost insignificant—but it was enough.

Zayden’s composure faltered for a second, and Ren’s breath hitched.

The servant looked away first.

"You are being too kind, My Lord."

"Am I?" Zayden murmured, eyes softening despite himself.

The clinking of glasses, utensils against plates, and chatter filled the hall again. The Emperor praised Eiran for his manners and flawless attitude.

"I never thought you, of all people, would be able to raise a child properly," he said, glaring at Zayden.

The General didn’t react, his gaze fixed on the plate of food before him. His stomach twisted, but he had to keep eating.

"Really?" he managed to say, almost sarcastically.

The Empress coughed, signaling to her husband the presence of Eiran and Ren—something he seemed to have forgotten.

The Emperor sighed, taking a sip of his wine before rising from his seat.

Everyone instantly sprang to their feet.

"You may continue. I have matters to attend to."

Having said so, the Emperor left the hall.

Everyone exchanged awkward glances in the brief silence that followed.

"Eiran, sit," Zayden said with a bright smile, gently placing the boy back in his chair.

"And you too," he added, looking at Ren and the remaining members of his family.

The Empress sighed, sinking back into her chair.

"Zayden, you know how he is—"

"Mother," Zayden interrupted, grinning at her. "I know."

Even if only for a moment, Ren noticed the lingering pain in his eyes. Did the General not have a good relationship with his father?

But why?

The Emperor didn’t seem like someone who would mistreat his children. He was even friendly to Eiran, without judging him for being adopted by Zayden. And if anything, this man appeared to be a loving father—the kind of person Ren couldn’t even imagine having in his own life.

"He loves you," the Empress said, her voice low but enough to be heard by her son, gently holding his arm to comfort him.

"I know," Zayden nodded, his lips twitching as he struggled to keep a smile plastered on his face.