Chapter 9: The One Ezra Hated The Most.

The Sunspire royal complex.

While most royal families ruled from a single palace, and a few kept smaller secondary residences for consorts or concubines, Sunspire was something else entirely.

It was a compound.

A vast, enclosed domain where thousands of people lived, all tied in one way or another to the royal family.

At its heart stood the king’s palace, where the throne itself resided.

The Solar Throne Palace.

Encircling it were three semi-independent princely palaces, known as the Spireholds. Each one served as both a residence and a military seat, powerful in its own right.

Beyond those lay the outer quarters.

The places Ezra privately referred to as the unimportant.

They housed the king’s favored consorts, concubines, and the children no one spoke of. Not truly unimportant people, not really.

Ezra simply called them that because, in the end, they held no real influence. No authority. No contribution to the kingdom’s direction, unlike the king and his three favored princes.

’The king doesn’t even know the names of his daughters,’ Ezra thought grimly.

Last he knew, there were ten of them.

At least, there had been before he left.

The king also had sons besides the three princes recognized by the realm, but they were quietly placed into lesser positions, kept out of sight and out of power.

’Helios was the king’s first child from his first queen.’ Ezra thought. ’That alone put him in the line of succession. And he’s the most legitimate of them all.’

And as for the other two—

The carriage suddenly slowed to a halt.

Ezra blinked, pulled from his thoughts, confusion flickering across his face as he glanced out the window.

They hadn’t arrived yet.

So why had they stopped?

“Maman, are we here?” Lior asked, tilting his head.

“Not yet, little one,” Ezra replied gently. “This is a different place. We’ll be stopping here for a while, so remember what I told you, alright?”

“Don’t call you Maman,” Lior answered promptly.

Ezra smiled and ruffled his hair. “Good boy.”

He set Lior down carefully. “Now let’s go out.”

Right on cue, the carriage door opened.

Helios stood there, smiling, with an unfamiliar knight just behind him.

“I was going to say I hope the ride wasn’t too uncomfortable,” Helios said lightly, “but then I remembered you’re the same person who once fell asleep while riding a horse.”

Ezra stiffened slightly.

He forced himself to stay composed. He and Helios had long agreed that whatever closeness they shared would remain behind closed doors, or at the very least, far from public eyes.

Especially since the knight behind Helios had raised an eyebrow at that comment.

Ezra cleared his throat. “I merely trained myself to be prepared for any outcome,” he said evenly. “Whether tired or injured, I wanted to ensure I could still ride comfortably.”

“Only you would describe riding a horse as ’comfortable,’” Helios replied with a faint smile as he stepped aside. “Now, I’m sure you’re wondering why we stopped here.”

Ezra didn’t answer. He knew Helios would explain regardless.

Instead, he reached for Lior, helped him down from the carriage, then stepped out himself.

“My father heard of your return,” Helios continued. “He’s eager to speak with you.”

Ezra froze.

What?

Why?

“T-That’s…” Ezra swallowed. “Why does His Majesty want to speak with me? Did I—”

’Do they know about Lior?’ his thoughts spiraled. ’Did the king somehow find out?’

The king was a powerful man.

A man who held entire kingdoms in the palm of his hand.

’It wouldn’t be impossible,’ Ezra thought, dread curling in his chest.

“Mhm?”

Lior looked up at Ezra, his brows knitting together as if he could feel the sudden shift in him.

Ezra felt small fingers tug at his tunic, grounding and pleading all at once. Instinct flared. His hand immediately closed around Lior’s, grip firm, ready.

’If something feels wrong, we run,’ Ezra thought. ’No hesitation.’

Before he could move, Helios placed a hand on his shoulder.

It was steady.

And annoyingly familiar.

“Don’t worry, Ezra,” Helios said calmly, his smile never faltering. “He only wished to see the greatest knight this kingdom has ever had.”

Ezra blinked.

“The greatest?” Ezra said, startled. “Your Highness, I’m flattered, but I’m hardly—”

“I was wondering why there was such a commotion here,” a voice cut in smoothly, carrying a sharp edge beneath its pleasant tone. “And to see my dear brother…”

Ezra felt it then.

A sharp, ugly crack in his chest.

Like glass splintering.

“…and oh,” the voice continued, amused, “a very familiar face I haven’t seen in awhile. I suppose that explains everything.”

Ezra’s jaw tightened.

That voice.

That irritating, polished, infuriating voice.

’I could kill him,’ Ezra thought, the instinct coming fast and dark. ’One clean strike.’

He forced the thought down just as quickly.

Treason.

Helios turned, his expression shifting. “Kaelis,” he said. “Brother. What brings you here?”

Ezra stepped forward before Helios could say more, his face already locked into something cold and unreadable.

He bowed deeply.

“Prince Kaelis,” Ezra said evenly.

Around them, the knights followed suit, heads lowered in perfect synchronization.

Beside him, Lior gasped softly.

Ezra didn’t need to look to know why.

Golden eyes.

Silver hair.

The same unmistakable aura that Helios carried.

Kaelis’s gaze flicked briefly to the child, lingering just a second too long before returning to Ezra.

’Don’t look at him,’ Ezra thought sharply. ’Don’t you dare.’

Prince Kaelis straightened, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

The second prince.

And without a doubt, the one Ezra hated the most.

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