Chapter 71: ’A Reason to Smile.’

“Let us all head back then. Someone call the other teams.”

Aurien clapped his hands once, sharp and decisive, as if closing a Chapter.

The forest, which had been alive with steel and breath not long ago, now felt almost peaceful. Leaves rustled lightly as the defeated knights gathered themselves. Some limped. Some laughed under their breath, replaying the chaos. Others remained quiet, thoughtful.

It had been nearly an hour.

An hour of running, chasing, ambushing.

An hour of adrenaline.

And that final twist.

Of course it was Aurien who had twisted it.

And apparently, for Ezra.

Now all six teams followed behind them in loose formation, voices blending into a low hum of chatter.

There was no resentment in it. Just energy. Something had shifted.

Aurien walked at the front, posture straight, hands loosely clasped behind his back as if he had merely taken them on a morning stroll.

Ezra walked just behind him.

Watching him.

’When did he start walking like that?’ Ezra wondered. ’When did he start carrying himself like he expects to be followed?’

“Prince Aurien,” Ezra said quietly, lowering his voice so the knights behind them would not overhear.

Aurien tilted his head slightly, glancing back over his shoulder.

“Yes, Captain Ezra?”

The title again.

Ezra inhaled softly.

“I have a question,” he began. “Or perhaps two. If you do not mind.”

He was not breathless anymore. The sharp exhaustion from earlier had faded. Yet there remained a different kind of tiredness.

Not physical.

Something else.

He could not name it.

Aurien slowed his pace just enough so they were not overheard.

“I do not mind.”

Ezra’s eyes stayed on Aurien’s back for a moment before he spoke.

“Why do you still call me Captain Ezra?”

Aurien did not answer immediately.

Ezra continued, carefully.

“You are a prince. You used to call me Captain out of respect. Because I was… useful. Skilled.” He exhaled lightly. “I hope it is not presumptuous to say that.”

Aurien’s expression softened faintly.

“You are correct,” he said. “I call you Captain out of respect.”

Ezra frowned slightly.

“Then why continue?” he asked. “After today… after what I have seen…”

He hesitated.

“You have most likely surpassed me.”

The words did not come from bitterness.

Nor pride.

They came from honest observation.

Aurien had dismantled three teams alone.

Had kept pace with him without strain.

Had anticipated moves he once struggled to execute.

Ezra did not resent it.

But he recognized it.

’He used to be a wide-eyed prince who would secretly watch my training thinking I didn’t know.’

That’s why Ezra disliked Aurien in the past, well, one of the many reasons Ezra thought he had.

One, princes shouldn’t admire or idolise a knight.

Aurien slowed fully now, turning just enough so Ezra could see his face clearly.

There was no arrogance there.

No smugness.

Only something steady.

“I call you Captain,” Aurien said quietly, “because you are a captain.”

Ezra blinked. “Yes…?”

“I do not mean by rank,” Aurien continued. “I mean in the way you carry yourself. The way you think. The way you move.”

His voice lowered slightly.

“You lead without asking to lead. You’re a captain even if you aren’t.”

Ezra held his gaze.

Aurien smiled faintly.

“You trained men. You corrected them. You protect everyone. More or less, you taught me everything I needed to know and motivated me even if you didn’t mean to. Whether you like it or not, that does not disappear because I improved.”

Ezra’s chest tightened.

’Oh.’ he realized. ’Oh…oh…okay.’

He didn’t know what to think about that.

Or even say.

“And surpassed you?” Aurien added, the corner of his lips lifting. “That is debatable.”

Ezra almost scoffed.

“It is not.”

Aurien’s eyes sharpened just a little.

“You were tired,” he said simply.

Ezra stiffened.

’I was not that obvious,’ he thought.

Aurien’s smile grew, just slightly.

“You think I did not notice?”

He stepped closer, voice low enough that only Ezra could hear.

“You have been back for days. You are still adjusting, and I was at my fullest earlier. Well-rested, and yet…we were back to back, on par with each other.”

The word lingered.

Aurien’s gaze flicked briefly to Ezra’s hands, then back to his eyes.

“You are not behind,” he continued softly. “You are simply returning.”

Ezra did not know why that made his throat tighten.

’I do not need reassurance,’ he told himself.

And yet—

He felt it.

Aurien resumed walking.

“And besides,” he added lightly, “it sounds good.”

Ezra raised a brow.

“Captain Ezra,” Aurien repeated under his breath, almost testing the sound. “It fits.”

For a moment, Ezra did not answer.

Then quietly—

“You are strange, Your Highness.”

Aurien laughed.

“Yes,” he said easily. “But you do not seem to mind, and you’re quite the strange one yourself.”

Ezra looked ahead at the path leading back toward the stone ledge.

’I suppose… I do not,’ he admitted inwardly. ’Not anymore, at least.’

Aurien tilted his head slightly. “You said you had two questions.”

Ezra blinked.

“What is the second one?”

Right.

“The second,” he repeated, gathering his thoughts. “Why did you decide everything without informing me?”

Aurien’s brow lifted faintly.

“Usually,” Ezra continued, keeping his tone even, “a captain should know of his prince’s plans. Especially when those plans involve ambushing six teams of knights.”

He glanced sideways at him.

“You did not tell me anything.”

A pause.

“Why?”

Ezra’s tone wasn’t demanding, it wasn’t even accusatory, or anything negative.

He was just curious.

Aurien chuckled under his breath, soft and unbothered.

“The answer is quite simple.”

Ezra waited.

Aurien looked forward again as they walked, voice calm.

“You always know everything.”

Ezra frowned slightly. “That is not—”

“You do,” Aurien cut in gently. “You are likely the busiest captain in this kingdom. Busier than all three combined.”

Ezra opened his mouth to protest, then closed it.

Because it was not entirely false.

“You manage missions. You train. You observe. You anticipate threats before they are spoken,” Aurien continued. “You know my brother’s tendencies before he finishes speaking. You are the first person my brother confides in when there’s any threats or problem relating to the kingdom.”

Ezra’s steps slowed slightly.

’He really…pays a lot of attention to me.’ he wondered.

Aurien’s voice softened.

“You always know what is coming.”

A small breath escaped him.

“So I thought,” Aurien said lightly, “perhaps this once, you should not.”

Ezra looked at him fully now.

Aurien met his gaze.

“I thought you should simply show up,” he said. “And enjoy it.”

The words were simple.

But they landed heavily.

“You returned after five years,” Aurien continued. “And before you could even settle, you were already preparing for another mission. Strategizing. Calculating.”

He smiled faintly.

“You always carry the weight of what comes next.”

Ezra felt something shift in his chest.

“So I did not tell you,” Aurien finished. “Because I did not want you thinking about it. I wanted you to experience it.”

A beat passed.

“To have relief. Even if it was only for an hour.”

Ezra stared at him.

For a moment, he could not speak.

’He…and I thought he couldn’t be considerate enough.’ he thought.

He had not realized how tightly wound he had been until now. How quickly he had fallen back into old habits. Planning. Anticipating. Preparing for blood.

And Aurien had seen it.

And instead of using it—

He had eased it.

’How many times has anyone done that for me?’ Ezra wondered.

The answer was almost laughable.

Not many.

Not since…

He swallowed the thought.

He had been surprised by Aurien more times in the past few days than in the previous ten years combined.

And this one—

This one struck deeper.

“That is…” Ezra began, then paused.

He rarely stumbled over words.

But now—

“That is very considerate of you.”

His voice was quieter than usual.

Honest.

Though it was the second time he has said this to Aurien today, the tone…the tone was different.

Aurien blinked once, as if not expecting that tone.

Ezra inhaled slowly.

“Thank you,” he added.

Not as a captain.

Not as a subordinate.

Just as himself.

And this time, he did not restrain it.

No knights were looking directly at them. The chatter behind them masked their expressions.

So Ezra let himself smile.

Fully.

Not the faint curve he allowed in formal halls.

Not the sharp smirk he wore in battle.

A real one.

Open.

Warm.

Aurien stopped walking.

Ezra noticed too late.

He turned his head slightly.

Aurien was staring at him.

Not composed.

Not confident.

Awestruck.

As if Ezra had just done something impossible.

For a brief second, Aurien looked almost… flustered.

His ears had tinted faintly pink.

Ezra’s brows lifted.

’What?’ he almost asked.

But instead, something mischievous flickered through him.

It was rare.

But it was there.

“Your Highness,” Ezra said lightly, the corner of his mouth still curved. “You look as though you have seen a ghost.”

Aurien blinked again, clearing his throat softly.

“I—”

He paused.

Then laughed under his breath, recovering.

“I was simply thinking,” he said carefully, “that I should have done this sooner.”

Ezra tilted his head.

“Done what?”

Aurien met his eyes again.

“Given you a reason to smile like that.”

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