Chapter 117: Eat Together?

Ezra was taken aback.

No, more like, he was appalled.

Appalled that Kaelis would actually still mention that now. ’He really has a lot of nerve.’ Ezra thought.

’Isn’t he ashamed? Why does it feel like he’s proud of what happened between us?’

The audacity.

The shamelessness.

It was too much even for a rake like Kaelis.

“I don’t understand why we’re still mentioning things that…” Ezra said through gritted teeth, but he paused for a moment to glance at Lior, who was curiously watching them. “…we should be forgetting.”

“How am I going to forget such an unforgettable memory?” Kaelis whispered back. It was obvious he was trying to rile Ezra up.

All the more reason to detest his presence and kick him out.

“Careful, Your Highness, I might assume you’re… a bigger creep than I thought for the things you’re saying now,” Ezra whispered back, now narrowing his eyes at him.

Kaelis smirked. “If I can recall correctly, though maybe you can’t because you’re keen on forgetting, you practically begged me. If anything, you’re the creep.”

Ezra’s eyes widened, his face heating up instantly. He wanted to take a step back, but that would be admitting defeat.

And admitting defeat in this situation was a big no for him.

He’d rather die.

Ezra took a deep breath, forcing himself to stay still so he wouldn’t snap and punch Kaelis.

“Prince Kaelis, you are being very ina—”

“Are you guys keeping secrets?”

Both Ezra and Kaelis froze.

Ezra looked behind Kaelis. Lior was standing now, looking up at both of them. Kaelis also turned to look at him.

“We’re not keeping secrets,” Ezra said smoothly. “Why do you think that?”

“Because you are whiserping.”

“It’s whispering,” Ezra corrected.

“That’s what I said,” Lior replied, crossing his arms. “I want to eat.” He suddenly said, then pointed at Kaelis.

“Kakay asked Fizzy to bring food.”

“Then we’ll wait for Fizzy,” Ezra said, a bit awkward now, especially with Kaelis still staring at him.

“Is Kakay gonna eat with us?”

Ezra’s eyes widened slightly at the question. “No.”

“Yes.”

Ezra immediately looked at Kaelis, who had said “Yes” at the exact same time. He narrowed his eyes, but before he could argue, Kaelis turned to Lior.

“Can I eat with you two, Lior?” Kaelis asked, his tone obviously fake, almost hopeful.

’Why is he doing this?’ Ezra thought, internally groaning. ’Oh, well. Prince or not, he won’t be able to do anything if Lior says no.’

And Lior would definitely say no.

Lior put on his ’thinking’ face. “Hmm,” he hummed, pretending to think for a few seconds before smiling.

“Okay, sure. Because you asked permission, I will let you!”

“What?” Ezra said in disbelief.

Lior tilted his head, an innocent smile on his face.

Kaelis slowly turned to look at Ezra, a clearly pleased, almost evil smile forming. “The child has spoken.”

Why?

Why did Lior say yes?

Did Lior already forget Ezra telling him that princes with golden eyes were dangerous?

But then again… Helios had been nice to him.

And while Lior had a good memory, he tended to follow his own judgment more than Ezra’s warnings.

’But he wasn’t even this nice to Helios… why Kaelis?’ Ezra thought, completely thrown off. ’What the hell happened while I was gone?’

Kaelis had somehow managed to make Lior think he was nice.

But how?

Lior was usually smart.

And a good judge of character, even though he’s a child.

Ezra wiped his face, his eye twitching as he took another deep breath before slumping his shoulders.

’I lost.’ He thought, glancing at Kaelis, who was smiling at him as if he had just won something.

“Take a seat then, Your Highness,” Ezra said, pointing to a wooden chair, the one farthest from Lior.

“Can I sit near him?” Lior asked, tilting his head, which made Ezra freeze.

“That’s rare, Lior. Do you like the prince?” Ezra asked.

“Of course he does,” Kaelis said. “I’m the coolest prince—”

“No. I don’t like him,” Lior said flatly, his face completely blank.

Kaelis stared at him, clearly caught off guard.

Ezra bit his tongue to stop himself from laughing. “Ouch.”

“If… you don’t like me, why do you want to eat with me?” Kaelis asked, sounding genuinely offended.

“Because you were mean to Fizzy, and so I want to be mean to you longer,” Lior said, crossing his arms. “As long as you’re not king, I’m not scared. Hmph.”

Ezra had to turn around, his shoulders shaking as he tried to hold it in, but he still laughed. “Oh, Your Highness, you were mean to Fizzy? That’s a serious offense.”

“Uh huh! Just because you’re a prince doesn’t mean you get to be mean!”

“That’s…” Kaelis looked genuinely confused.

“And if you punish me and put me in jail, people will hate you because I’m still a baby and I’m very cute.”

“That’s true,” Ezra said with a nod. He wasn’t as wary of Kaelis in this moment, especially since Kaelis wasn’t even part of the race for the throne.

And Kaelis didn’t seem like the type to get angry at children, which might be his only redeeming quality.

“I’m glad you find this funny,” Kaelis said, visibly annoyed now as he glanced at Ezra. “Seems you’re not made of ice after all.”

Ezra turned back to him with a small, cheeky grin. “I’ve always been a fan of adults getting humbled by children. It’s even funnier when the adult is a man in power.”

“I can see the appeal,” Kaelis said dryly, brushing a few strands of his long silver hair aside.

Then he looked at Lior again. “As for you, I was mean for one second, and it barely counts. As I told you, I was just exercising my—”

“Kaelis, what are you doing here?”

A voice cut in.

All three of them stilled.

Ezra felt the fine hairs on the back of his neck rise, even though he wasn’t sure why.

Because the one who spoke was Helios.

“Brother…” Kaelis tensed slightly. “What are you doing here?”

Ezra turned toward the entrance. Beside Helios stood a nervous Fizzy, holding a tray of freshly grilled meat.

“You can’t answer my question with another question,” Helios said. “Aren’t you supposed to be by Aamon’s side?”

’Helios still seems…’

Mad.

Very, very mad.

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