Chapter 119: Yay! Yay! Hurray!

“Because I remembered earlier that I remember him.”

Ezra stared at Lior, who was munching on his barbecue like he didn’t just say something that made absolutely no sense.

Ezra was confused. Very, very confused.

“Yes, of course, you remember him. He’s one of the princes you met the other day when he first arrived here,” Ezra said, trying not to overthink what Lior had just said, because honestly, it sounded silly.

Lior shook his head, but didn’t answer right away since his mouth was still full.

Ezra waited silently.

Then decided to take another bite of the meat in his hands.

’Tastes burnt.’ Ezra mused, though he didn’t really mind it.

If anything, the taste was familiar.

It reminded him of the old days. When his old knights, his friends, would cook after long hunts. The meat would always end up horribly burnt, but because they were all starving from a day of fighting Dark Ones, it tasted amazing anyway.

Back then, that burnt meat felt like a reward.

Now, it just tasted like burnt meat.

There was no hunger behind it. No exhaustion deep enough to make it better.

Just… burnt.

“I had a dream earlier!” Lior suddenly exclaimed as soon as he swallowed.

Ezra looked back at him. “Yes?”

“I dreamt of a man, but uh… his face was wooshokoosh.” Lior made random movements around his face when he said “wooshokoosh.”

Ezra blinked. “What does that mean?”

“I can see him but can’t see his face.”

“Oh, his face was blurry?”

“Uh huh! That.” Lior nodded vigorously, clearly satisfied with that explanation.

Ezra let out a small chuckle.

’I’m pretty sure he still doesn’t know what the word means.’

Still, he gestured for Lior to continue.

“I remember the man had pretty white hair. I thought he was a princess! But Kakay is not a princess, but he has pretty white hair!” Lior said excitedly.

Now Ezra felt even more uneasy.

“So you’re saying you dreamt of Kaelis? It could just be someone with white hair. How are you sure it was him?” Ezra asked.

Lior hesitated.

He hesitated a lot.

Ezra watched him closely as Lior slowly raised a finger to his lips, making a small “shh” gesture.

“In my dream, the white-haired man did this,” Lior whispered. “Kakay also did the shh. I remember it was him.”

’Now why would Kaelis do that?’ Ezra thought.

He wasn’t concerned, just confused. Weirded out.

Lior said strange things sometimes, but this one lingered more than it should.

Still, Ezra didn’t push it further.

He loved his imaginative son.

That wasn’t going to change.

That’s why he decided to steer the conversation.

“Speaking of Kaelis, Lior… remember how I told you to stay away from people with golden eyes?”

“Uh… I think so?” Lior tilted his head. “But Heeyos is nice, you said, right?”

“Yes, I did say that, but Kaelis is…”

“Is Kakay bad?” Lior asked.

There was no fear in his voice. Just curiosity. Pure, innocent curiosity.

Ezra looked into Lior’s orange eyes.

Eyes that were supposed to be gold.

Eyes that trusted him completely.

For a moment, Kaelis’ face appeared in his mind.

Not the one Ezra had hated all these years.

But the one he saw earlier. The one standing in front of Helios.

Quiet.

That made Ezra pause.

He took a breath.

“No, he’s not necessarily bad,” Ezra said, his voice quieter than he expected.

’What’s wrong with me? Of course, he’s bad. Kaelis is a scheming asshole.’

But for some reason, he couldn’t say it.

“Then what?” Lior asked again.

“He’s not bad, but he… he’s one of those people. Like Helios, or anyone. Even if they seem nice, they might take you if they find out you have golden eyes.”

“They don’t have to find out, though?” Lior said simply, blinking up at him. “You put the magicy water thingy in my eyes, right?”

“Well… yes…” Ezra paused for a second, his grip tightening slightly around his utensils. “But there is only so much that could do. They can still figure out you’re my son.”

“That’s also bad?”

“That’s also bad,” Ezra said, softer this time. “You don’t have to ignore them, or Kaelis, but we shouldn’t let them get too close to us.”

“Just not friends?” Lior asked.

“Yes, just not friends.”

“Oh.”

Lior’s shoulders drooped a little as he looked down at his food, quietly poking at it instead of eating.

The excitement from earlier faded just a bit, replaced with something small and disappointed.

Ezra’s brows furrowed. He didn’t understand why it affected him this much. Lior had never had trouble keeping distance from others before. Even with Fizzy. Even with Helios.

So why Kaelis?

What did he do?

’Now I feel bad.’ Ezra thought, watching the way Lior’s small fingers slowed against the table. But this was for his sake. It had to be.

And Ezra told himself this would pass. Just a phase.

Maybe Lior was still adjusting to everything. To being here. Not having Ezra beside him every second like before.

And whether Ezra liked it or not… Kaelis did have a certain pull. Loud, shameless, impossible to ignore.

Too much like someone Lior would notice.

’And those dreams…’

Ezra exhaled quietly and set his utensils down, deciding not to let the mood sink any further.

“Look at it this way, Lior,” he said, reaching over to gently tap the table to get his attention. “Because I’m suspended, I can stay with you the whole time. It can just be you and me. No Fizzy.”

Lior looked up immediately, the sadness gone as quickly as it came, his eyes lighting up. “Really?!”

“Yes,” Ezra said, a small smile finally forming. “We can even nap together.”

“Yay! Yay! Hurray!” Lior exclaimed, bouncing slightly in his seat, his earlier mood completely forgotten.

Ezra let out a quiet breath as he watched him.

’Now, he’s happy.’

“I am very excited for the nap, especially,” Ezra says with an affectionate smile on his face. “After we eat, we nap, after the nap, we can do whatever you want. Okay?”

“Okay!”

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