"You’re..." Kaelis looks at Lior, and Ezra could see it clearly, the brief hesitation, the way Kaelis’ expression shifted just slightly as if he was choosing his words carefully.

It wasn’t like him to pause.

Ezra could tell he was deciding whether to lie or tell the truth, weighing it in that split second, probably thinking about how much the child could handle.

Considerate. Ezra will give him that.

"You’re still a target," Kaelis says, giving him a sad smile, one that didn’t quite reach his eyes. "You and your maman. Though I’m sure they won’t be so bold as to come take you right away, we just need to take precautions."

Lior blinks at him, processing, his small brows pulling together slightly.

"What’s precashos?" Lior asks, looking up at Ezra, clearly stuck on the unfamiliar word.

Ezra exhales softly, the tension easing just a little as he crouches his explanation down into something simpler.

"Precautions are when you need to be extra, extra, extra careful, and prepare for any danger that might or might not happen," Ezra explains, keeping his voice calm, steady, something Lior could hold onto.

Lior’s face shifts slowly into understanding.

"Ohh." Lior blinks as he nods his head. "So, I am both in danger and not in danger?"

Kaelis lets out a small breath through his nose, clearly amused despite everything.

"Basically, yes," Kaelis says, the corner of his lips lifting slightly. "Good job, kid. You understood it right away."

"I’m clever," Lior says with a proud smile, puffing himself up just a bit, the earlier sadness already fading into something lighter.

Ezra rolls his eyes, though there was a hint of a smile there, too.

’That didn’t last long,’ Ezra thought, watching how quickly Lior bounced back. ’Good...better this than him crying.’

Ezra finally turns to Kaelis before Lior talks his ear off, and Kaelis talks their ear off, and they go off-topic again.

"What do you have in mind, Your Highness? For safety, I mean," Ezra asks, his gaze settling on Kaelis more seriously now.

Kaelis’ expression changes again.

Subtly.

"Well..." Kaelis looks at him with an unsure expression, something Ezra wasn’t used to seeing from him, which immediately puts him on edge. "It’s not about what I have in mind, more like, I’m here to tell you about my father’s order."

’The king’s order?’ Ezra’s eyes widened, his posture straightening without him realizing it.

That alone didn’t sound good.

"I think we all need to sit down for this," Kaelis says, gesturing to Ezra’s square table with four chairs and empty plates, as if what he was about to say wasn’t something to be taken lightly.

Ezra glances at the table for a second, then back at Kaelis.

"We don’t have anything to serve you, though," Ezra says, though his tone made it clear he didn’t actually care.

’And even if we did, I wouldn’t be offering it to you nicely,’ he thought, a hint of spite slipping through.

Maybe, a cookie laced with poop-inducing herbs.

"I wasn’t expecting anything," Kaelis answers coolly as he makes his way towards the table, already pulling out a chair like he owned the place.

Ezra watches him for a second longer than necessary.

’Why does that sound insulting?’ Ezra thought, narrowing his eyes slightly before following after him anyway.

They all went to the table to sit in the chairs.

The moment Ezra moved to sit down, Lior shifted in his arms, twisting slightly as if he had already decided something before Ezra even had the chance to.

"I want to sit there!" Lior says, pointing directly at the chair beside Kaelis, his voice bright and certain, leaving no room for negotiation.

Ezra pauses.

For a second too long.

His grip on Lior tightens just slightly, not enough to hurt, but enough to show hesitation.

’Seriously?’ Ezra thought, his lips pressing together faintly as he stared at the spot Lior was pointing at.

Kaelis, on the other hand, lets out a quiet, amused breath, clearly entertained by it, his gaze softening in a way Ezra didn’t like noticing, like this was something he enjoyed more than he should.

"Come here then," Kaelis says casually, already pulling the chair out a bit more to make space for him, like he expected Ezra to agree.

Ezra didn’t move right away.

’Lior has gotten attached way too quickly,’ Ezra thought, a flicker of irritation rising, something sharper beneath it. ’And why does Kaelis look so pleased about it?’ 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

But then—

Lior shifts again, a small, impatient sound leaving him, his fingers curling slightly against Ezra’s sleeve, and Ezra feels it immediately.

Fear.

He felt sudden fear upon remembering the flickering lights and Lior’s flickering eyes.

The way the room reacted.

The way Kaelis almost saw it.

The risk of Lior’s eyes becoming gold again.

Ezra exhales quietly.

’Not worth the risk of upsetting him,’ he thought, forcing himself to move, even if every part of him resisted it. ’But why is he even getting upset just because of Kaelis?’

He couldn’t question it.

Lior has always been an enigma.

So, carefully and begrudgingly, he places Lior beside Kaelis.

Lior immediately adjusts himself, scooting closer without hesitation, his earlier distress completely gone as if it never happened, like whatever scared him before had simply disappeared.

Kaelis reaches out without thinking, steadying him, adjusting how he sits so he wouldn’t slip off the chair, his hand firm but gentle.

"Careful now, Little one." The prince’s voice was soft, gentle, almost...like a parent.

It was a small thing.

It was out of courtesy, Ezra knew that.

And somehow—

It made Ezra uncomfortable.

His eyes lingered for just a second longer than necessary, watching the interaction, watching how easily it came to Kaelis.

’...right,’ Ezra thought, something tightening in his chest. ’He doesn’t even know.’

Kaelis didn’t know.

Didn’t know who Lior was.

Didn’t know what that small gesture actually meant.

And Lior—

Lior just smiled, completely at ease, like this was normal, like sitting beside Kaelis was something he had always done, like there was no distance between them at all.

"Maman, look!" Lior says, sitting up straighter like he was proud of himself for sitting properly, his voice filled with a small kind of excitement.

Ezra forces a small smile.

"Yes, I see," he says, though his voice came out quieter than he intended, softer, almost distracted.

’I hate this,’ Ezra thought, watching them for a moment before finally taking his own seat, the feeling settling in deeper than he liked.

For a second, Ezra felt...envious.

Envious that no matter how much he took care of Lior, it seems Lior really was still drawn to his "Papa."

And despite Kaelis being a jerk, it seems there was still that instinct inside him that took care of Lior naturally.

The room settled into something still again.

Not quiet.

Just...waiting.

The kind of stillness that felt like something was about to be said, something that would shift everything again.

Ezra leaned back slightly, his attention returning to Kaelis, the earlier unease still lingering beneath everything else, refusing to leave no matter how much he tried to push it down.

"What is the king’s order?" Ezra asks, his tone steady now, though his eyes didn’t leave Kaelis’ face.