Chapter 138: Did Something Wrong.

Oh.

Well, that wasn’t that bad.

If what Aurien said was true, then most of the Dark Ones from Fleur De Lys had already been dealt with because of Helios and Aurien using their Sunlight Rays.

That meant the mission here would likely proceed fine even without them.

And more than that, Ezra didn’t think this place was safe for Lior anymore.

He wanted to leave.

As soon as possible.

’I need to get him out of here.’

“I have no qualms if it’s father asking,” Kaelis says with a shrug, then turns to Ezra. “You?”

Ezra nods, already opening his mouth. “I don’t mind—”

“I don’t agree.”

The words cut through the tent, making Ezra tense.

Everyone turns to the source.

Ezra’s eyes widen slightly.

Helios.

He was sitting there, arms crossed, his expression calm but firm.

“Prince Helios?” Ezra asks, his brows furrowing.

“Prince Helios, why don’t you agree?” Aamon asks, his tone measured.

Helios exhales quietly, but his face remains composed. “Ezra Belloren is my captain. He has been for years. He just returned to that role, and now suddenly I have no authority over him?”

There’s a brief pause before he continues.

“If father needs Kaelis for the investigation, then Kaelis should return with Razor.”

Ezra blinks.

’…He has a point.’

But at the same time—

’No, that doesn’t make sense either.’

First of all, authority? Since when did Helios use that word when it came to Ezra?

And second, he wanted to go back.

That part was clear to him.

He was about to speak again, to say it out loud, to make his stance clear—

But Kaelis beat him to it.

“My captain wasn’t the one with me when we were attacked,” Kaelis says, tilting his head slightly, a small smile still on his face. “And his protégé was the one who got kidnapped. So, of course, he has to go.”

Ezra exhales quietly.

’…That’s exactly what I was going to say.’

And unfortunately, he agreed.

Helios leans forward slightly, his gaze sharpening as he looks at Kaelis. “My captain wouldn’t have been involved in the first place. You took him into an investigation that wasn’t even his.”

“And yet the investigation progressed,” Kaelis replies. “Isn’t that what matters?”

His smile stays, but there’s something in his eyes now.

Something less light.

“Why is your authority over one person more important than the fact that we found useful information? Information father will want. Information families will want.”

The word families linger in the air.

Ezra notices it.

Helios’ expression tightens.

“It’s not just about authority,” Helios says, his voice firmer now. “It’s about you making an impulsive decision, and I’m the one—”

“May I interject before this turns into something else?”

Aurien raises his hand slightly, his tone calm.

Helios and Kaelis both go quiet.

Aamon gestures for him to continue.

Aurien nods, then looks at Helios. “Brother, I understand your frustration. Captain Ezra is your captain. That much is very true.”

He pauses briefly.

“But he is also the most experienced among all of them. You kept that position open for a reason. Because no one else matches him.”

Aurien glances at Ezra with a small smile.

Ezra looks away.

’That’s too much.’

He doesn’t know what to do with that kind of praise.

Aurien continues, his tone still steady. “Brother Kaelis brought him along because he needed someone capable. Someone who could think fast and figure things out.”

He shifts his gaze between them.

“And it worked. There were risks, yes. But the result speaks for itself.”

Ezra watches Helios.

He sees it.

The tension.

The way Helios’ jaw tightens, like he’s holding something back.

’Why is he this upset…?’

Ezra didn’t mean for it to turn into this.

He didn’t think it would.

And yet here they were.

Arguing over him.

’If that’s what this is anyway,’ Ezra thought as he let out a quiet breath, trying to steady himself despite everything still weighing on him. ’I need to speak up.’

“If I can have an opinion on this, Your Highnesses,” Ezra says, raising his hand slightly, his voice controlled even if his chest felt tight.

He already looks at Helios, almost apologetic without saying it out loud, and Helios’ eyes were on him the moment he moved, watching him in a way that made it hard to ignore.

“Go ahead, Captain. Your opinion matters the most, considering you have a choice,” Aurien says, still smiling, his tone gentle, almost encouraging.

Kaelis, on the other hand, looked completely at ease, sitting back like this was just another conversation.

Ezra could already tell. ’He knows what I’m going to say.’

That only made it worse, the guilt settling heavier in his chest because it felt like he was about to confirm something Kaelis had already decided for Helios.

But then Ezra glanced at Lior.

Lior was already looking at him, quiet, waiting without even understanding what this conversation meant, and that alone was enough.

Ezra’s jaw tightened slightly. ’Focus.’

This wasn’t for Kaelis.

It was for Lior.

“The moment a child under my care was kidnapped,” Ezra begins, his voice steady despite everything swirling inside him, “the moment children I was supposed to protect were taken, I made a promise.”

He pauses just briefly, not long enough to draw attention, but enough to keep his thoughts from slipping. “I promised Ricardo I would look for them.”

His gaze shifts to Aamon, grounding himself there instead of anywhere else. “So if I have to go back with Prince Kaelis to speak to his majesty,” Ezra continues, “then I will.”

“I do not permit it.”

Helios’ voice comes immediately after, sharp and firm, cutting through the space before Ezra could even settle after speaking.

Ezra freezes for a second.

That wasn’t hesitation.

That wasn’t even a pause.

It was immediate, almost instinctive, and it caught Ezra off guard more than he expected. ’…What is going on with him?’

He doesn’t respond right away because he genuinely doesn’t know how to respond to that.

Before anything else could happen, Aamon lets out a heavy sigh, the kind that already sounds tired of the direction things are going.

“That is not your decision, Prince Helios,” Aamon says, his tone sharper now, more authoritative. “Authority over the knights falls under me.”

He looks directly at Ezra. “And if Ezra chooses to be part of Prince Kaelis’ investigation and return, I will not stop him.”

“Fine by me,” Kaelis says easily, as if none of this tension bothered him at all, while Aurien nods in agreement, calm as ever, like this was the most reasonable outcome.

Helios doesn’t say anything after that, but he doesn’t look pleased either, and Ezra notices it immediately.

He can’t NOT notice it.

The silence from Helios feels heavier than any argument, and Ezra finds himself looking down instead of meeting his gaze. ’…Why does this feel like that?’

“That settles it,” Aamon says, moving things forward as if the matter is already closed.

But Ezra doesn’t feel settled.

Not even close.

He stays quiet, his hands resting against the table, his thoughts louder than everything else around him, louder than the voices, louder than the decision that was just made.

’I feel like I did something wrong.’

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