Silence settled in once the carriage began to move.
Ezra and Lior had been placed in a separate carriage, quieter and far more modest, while Helios remained behind in the luxurious one meant for royalty.
'He was expecting my arrival,' Ezra thought as he stared out the small window, watching the city slowly pass by. 'He had a carriage prepared. He was there at the exact moment I arrived.'
Helios had always been like that.
Thoughtful. Attentive. Unfailingly kind.
Out of everyone Ezra had ever known, Helios had been the kindest to him. That was why Ezra had been loyal for as long as he could remember.
Helios had pulled him off the streets.
He had given Ezra the name he carried.
He had allowed him to train as a knight when no one else would have even considered it.
Helios was the only person who knew Ezra was an omega, and the only one who had worked tirelessly to help him hide it.
Ezra owed him everything.
That was why his only wish, his only goal, had always been the same.
To be the best knight he could be.
To uphold Helios's reputation.
To make sure Helios was respected, admired, and protected.
To make sure Helios became king.
The current king had three sons, and while he still lived, he was careful. Deliberate. He would choose his successor wisely.
There were only two ways to become crown prince.
One was through the king's declaration, earned by merit, performance, and contributions to the kingdom.
Or—
"Maman…"
Lior's sleepy voice cut through Ezra's thoughts.
Ezra startled slightly before looking down, finding Lior blinking up at him, clearly just waking from a shallow sleep. His hair was mussed, his eyes still heavy.
Everything else faded away.
The weight of the kingdom, of Helios, of titles and dangers, all of it slipped into the background.
Ezra softened immediately.
"Hello, little one," he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of Lior's head.
"Where… we?" Lior mumbled, rubbing at his eyes as he tried to peer out the small carriage window.
"We're about to see our new home," Ezra said gently. "And it's a very big home, Lior."
Lior's eyes widened instantly. "Really? Bigger than Mr. Frank's house?"
Ezra chuckled quietly. Mr. Frank, the old man who owned the land where their small cabin sat. The place Ezra had bought when he found out he was pregnant.
The home he had told himself was temporary.
Their vacation home.
"Even bigger," Ezra replied, and it was the truth.
His quarters were within the grounds of Sunspire Palace itself, the heart of the royal estate. As Helios's captain, he had been given rooms larger than most nobles, far grander than their little cabin could ever be.
"Woah!" Lior's eyes sparkled as he raised his arms excitedly. "I'm excited, Maman!"
Ezra laughed softly at the sight, warmth blooming in his chest.
"I knew you would be," he said fondly.
'Please stay this happy,' Ezra thought. 'Please don't let this place take that from you.'
He hesitated.
He didn't want to ruin Lior's excitement, but there was something he had to say.
"But…" Ezra drew in a careful breath. "We can stay there because Maman has to work."
"A knight?" Lior asked, tilting his head, curiosity shining through the sleepiness.
Ezra smiled, even as his chest tightened.
"Yes," he said quietly. "A knight."
"But… What's a knight?" Lior asked, tilting his head.
Ezra paused, choosing his words carefully. "A knight is someone who protects people from dangerous things," he said gently. "There are… monsters here. And people need someone to protect them from those monsters."
It wasn't the whole truth. Knights didn't just fight monsters. They fought people too. Bad people.
But Ezra wasn't ready for his son to know that part of him yet.
"Wah!" Lior's eyes lit up. "So Maman fights monsters? Like in the stories?"
Ezra nodded. "Mhm. I do." He smiled softly. "That's why sometimes I might have to leave you, like before. Remember when I helped Mr. Frank and his people? You stayed in our cabin and waited for me."
Lior nodded eagerly. "Yes! But…"
The excitement drained from his face all at once.
Ezra stiffened. "What's wrong, little one?"
"Maman…" Lior hesitated, his small fingers twisting together. "The man… the man with the same eyes." His voice dropped. "H-Helios?"
Ezra's eyes widened.
"Lior," he said quickly but gently, "you can't call him by his name." He softened his tone when Lior flinched. "Whenever you see someone with gold eyes, you call them 'Your Highness,' okay?"
"Y-Your… High…" Lior frowned. "Too long, Maman."
Ezra smiled despite the tension in his chest. "You have to, little one."
Lior pouted. "Your High…ness."
"That's right," Ezra said, rubbing Lior's cheek gently. "That's how you address them. That's what's proper."
Lior thought about that for a moment, then asked quietly, "He's… kind? Like Mr. Frank, Maman?"
Ezra's heart twisted.
'I want to say yes,' he thought. 'I want to tell him the truth.'
Lior had already sensed it. The gentleness in Helios's voice earlier, the way he had smiled. Ezra could see it clearly.
And as much as Ezra didn't want to lie about Helios, he had to protect Lior first.
"No," Ezra said softly. "He's my boss." He hesitated, then tried again. "Do you remember the stories about a princess marrying a prince?"
Lior blinked, then nodded. "The prince and princess rule everything," he recited proudly. "And everyone has to listen to them."
Ezra smiled faintly. "My smart boy."
Then his expression grew serious.
"That man is a prince," Ezra continued. "He rules over us. And because of that, we have to obey him." He swallowed. "That's why please remember what I told you earlier. If he finds out you have golden eyes, he has the power to take you away from me."
Lior's eyes widened.
"He will act kind because he is a prince, but he is dangerous." Ezra pulled him closer, his voice barely above a whisper. "That's why we have to be careful. Okay?"
'I'm sorry,' Ezra thought, holding his son tight.
Lior nodded slowly, pressing his forehead against Ezra's chest.
"Okay, Maman."
Ezra held Lior close as the carriage rolled on, the steady rhythm of the wheels soothing but never fully calming him.
He hoped, quietly and desperately, that Lior would grow used to all of this. The palace. The rules. The pretending.
'Just go with the flow,' Ezra thought. 'Just for now.'
That was all he needed.
Ezra had never planned to stay forever.
Well, he had before Lior was born.
Now, he intended to stay only until he fulfilled his duty. Until he reached his goal.
He would help Helios, just as he always had. He would stand beside him until he became king, until the crown finally rested where it belonged.
And then…
'Then I'll take you far away,' Ezra promised silently, his hold on Lior tightening just a little. 'Somewhere quiet. Somewhere safe. Somewhere none of this can reach you.'
Lior could never know the truth.
The royal family could never know Lior existed.
It wasn't just for Ezra.
It was for the kingdom.
The carriage began to slow. Lior stirred, then pushed himself up, climbing slightly so he could peer out the window.
Then he gasped.
"Maman!" Lior exclaimed, pressing closer to the glass. "Look! Big castles! Like in the stories!"
Ezra's chest tightened.
'We're here.'
He leaned just enough to see what Lior was staring at, though he already knew.
"Yes," Ezra said softly, forcing calm into his voice. "Those are very big castles."
"I thought royal families only have one castle, Maman?" Lior's eyes were wide with wonder, his words tumbling out in excitement.
Ezra swallowed.
"Not this one, little one," he said more quietly. "In this place, there are many castles. All of them on one very large land."
The towering spires rose ahead of them, gleaming beneath the sky.
"The Sunspire royal complex."