A few hours earlier...

"Father, before I go..." Kaelis places his fork down, the soft clink against the plate barely noticeable in the quiet of the garden.

After their talk, after everything that was said and left unsaid, they had the maids prepare a heavier meal so they could have brunch together.

Something normal.

Something...a bit steadier.

But Kaelis hadn’t come here to eat.

There was still something sitting at the back of his mind.

Something he couldn’t ignore.

And he knew he wouldn’t be able to say it on an empty stomach.

"Tell me." Samson smiles, already looking at him, already waiting.

Not surprised.

Not curious.

Just...ready.

Like he knew this was coming.

Like he had been waiting for Kaelis to speak.

’Ah, of course, he knew,’ Kaelis thought, a quiet exhale leaving him as he leaned back slightly.

He didn’t know what his father’s ability was.

Nobody did.

It wasn’t something Samson ever spoke about, and no one ever dared to ask.

There were rumors, of course.

There were always rumors.

But nothing concrete.

Nothing confirmed.

Kaelis had grown up watching him, though.

Watching how he spoke.

How he reacted.

How he always seemed...a step ahead.

Like he already knew the answer before the question was even asked.

’He always knows,’ Kaelis thought, his gaze lowering briefly to his plate. ’Or at least...he always acts as he does.’

And that alone was enough for Kaelis to stop pushing further.

Not to ask.

Because if it was true—

If his father really had something like that—

Then knowing about it might ruin it.

Might put it at risk.

So Kaelis kept quiet.

He always did.

But it was also one of the biggest reasons he fully suspected Aurien and Helios.

Because Samson didn’t seem surprised at all.

Not when the topic of suspects came up.

Not when Kaelis spoke about possibilities.

He had just...accepted it.

Like it was something he already considered long before Kaelis did.

Kaelis takes a deep breath before speaking, forcing his thoughts back to the present.

"Father, about Ezra and Lior, I was hoping...for their safety that..."

The words slow down.

Not because he didn’t know what to say.

But because asking this—

Even now—

Made him feel younger than he wanted to be.

Like a child asking for permission.

He was afraid.

And he didn’t like that feeling.

"That?" Samson asks, tilting his head slightly, his eyes still on Kaelis, still watching him in that way that made it hard to hide anything.

Kaelis swallows.

"...that they could move."

"You want them to move?"

Kaelis nods slowly, his fingers pressing lightly against his lap under the table.

"That’s alright with me, but isn’t Ezra Belloren the one you should be talking to about that?"

"Right, yes, uh...well..." Kaelis exhales softly, collecting his thoughts. "I was thinking of all the safest places that Ezra and Lior could stay in, somewhere that’s harder to break into. Somewhere that was...much safer."

He pauses.

His father doesn’t interrupt.

Doesn’t respond.

Just listens.

And that silence—

That silence tells Kaelis to keep going.

"And I was hoping that you could let him...and Lior...stay here."

"Here? In my palace?" Samson asks again.

Kaelis flinches slightly at the repetition, but he straightens almost immediately.

"Yes."

His voice is steadier now.

More certain.

Because this wasn’t something he could hesitate on.

Not when it involved their safety.

Samson doesn’t answer right away.

He just looks at him.

Quietly, and eerily still.

And that makes Kaelis more nervous than any rejection would have.

’Say something, father,’ Kaelis thought, his grip tightening against his lap, his shoulders stiffening just slightly.

The silence stretches.

Just enough to make it uncomfortable.

"Okay."

Kaelis blinks.

"Okay?" His eyes widen slightly as Samson nods.

"Okay, they can stay here. I don’t mind at all, actually." Samson says it simply, like it wasn’t a big deal, like Kaelis hadn’t just asked for something significant.

"You...don’t mind?"

"No."

"Are you sure?" Kaelis asks again, just to be certain, because it felt too easy.

"Why do you seem surprised?" Samson says, a faint smile forming. "Ezra and that little Lior are a target now, if that is what you think is right. Then, I do not see why not."

Kaelis exhales slowly.

Not relief.

Not fully.

But something close to it.

Present...

’To think father agreed without any qualms,’ Kaelis thought, taking a deep breath as he finally arrived at his palace, the familiar structure rising before him as the gates opened.

It still didn’t sit right with him.

How easily Samson agreed.

How quickly he said yes.

But Kaelis wasn’t about to question it.

Not when it worked in his favor.

His palace stood closest to the King’s palace.

Closer than the others.

Closer than Helios’.

Closer than Aurien’s.

Which meant—

He could watch them closely.

He could keep an eye on them.

He could make sure nothing slipped through.

’I can stay there if I need to,’ Kaelis thought, his expression settling into something more resolved as he dismounted.

He had already made up his mind.

Ezra and Lior would take his old room.

It was large enough.

It was secure, and very familiar to Kaelis in case anything happened.

And most importantly—

It was within reach.

"Welcome back, Your Highness. Productive day?"

Rae’s voice greets him the moment his feet touch the ground, the butler already waiting, as if he had anticipated the exact moment of Kaelis’ return.

"Very," Kaelis answers, pulling the tie from his hair, letting the long strands fall loose down his back.

The small act helps him breathe a little easier.

Just a little.

"I need you to do something for me."

"Anything, Your Highness. What is it?" Rae responds immediately, straightening slightly.

"I need you to call some movers." Kaelis doesn’t hesitate. "Move Ezra Belloren’s things tomorrow to my old room in my father’s palace."

Rae pauses.

Just for a second.

"Pardon? Did I hear that correctly?"

Kaelis looks at him directly.

"Yes."

There was no room for confusion in his tone.

No hesitation.

"So I want you to do it right away."