"That’s...not...I don’t think he would," Ezra says, though the words didn’t come out as firm as he wanted them to.

They sounded unsure.

Even to him.

He honestly didn’t know how to react to that claim.

After years of believing—no, convincing himself—that Alyce and Helios’ relationship was stable, that their engagement was something solid and inevitable.

That was the image he carried all these years.

Helios and Alyce.

Perfect.

The ideal couple.

Something that didn’t need to be questioned.

’That’s how it’s always been,’ Ezra thought, his fingers curling slightly against his palm. ’That’s what I believed.’

"You really don’t think so?" Alyce asks, leaning forward just slightly now, her gaze fixed on him. "Be honest, please. Not as Helios’ friend, but perhaps mine."

Her eyes were wide.

Soft.

Almost fragile in a way that didn’t match the confidence she had carried earlier.

It almost reminded Ezra of a doe.

"I know we may not actually be friends yet," she continues, her voice quieter now, less composed than before, "and that you’re loyal to Helios, but please give me this."

Ezra doesn’t answer right away.

He just looks at her.

Really looks.

And then his thoughts drift—whether he wanted them to or not.

The Helios he knew wouldn’t do that to a woman.

Wouldn’t drag something out like this.

Wouldn’t leave someone waiting without an answer.

However—

That was only the Helios he knew.

And lately—

That version of Helios felt...distant.

The Helios that Kaelis knew apparently didn’t have plans of marrying Alyce.

And the Helios Alyce knew—

Was making her feel like this.

Uncertain.

Unwanted.

Like everything she was holding onto might disappear without warning.

’...which one is real?’ Ezra thought, his chest tightening as the question settled in deeper than he liked.

He didn’t want to answer.

He really didn’t.

Because whatever he said—

Would mean something.

To her.

To him.

But he had to.

So, he takes a slow breath, steadying himself before finally speaking.

"I don’t want to invalidate how you feel, Your Highness," Ezra says, his voice calm, though there was a quiet weight behind it now. "If you really feel that way...there’s a chance."

The words sit there.

It was simple.

But heavier than anything else he’s said.

Alyce stares at him.

Her expression doesn’t change immediately.

She doesn’t react the way he expected.

But there was something in her eyes.

Something that softened.

Not from happiness.

But from relief.

Like she had been waiting for someone to say it out loud.

Do not dismiss it.

Not to tell her she was overthinking.

’She already knew,’ Ezra thought, watching her closely. ’She just needed someone else to admit it.’

"But..." Ezra continues, not letting the silence stretch too long, shifting slightly in his seat as he tries to find something that doesn’t feel like he was just confirming her fears.

"If that’s the case," he says, his gaze steady now, "then how can I help?"

Alyce doesn’t answer right away.

She just looks at him, her fingers lightly resting against the rim of her teacup, her gaze dropping for a brief second, as if she were choosing her words carefully.

Then she exhales.

"I know you’re smart, Captain Ezra," Alyce says, her voice softer now, but steadier than before. "And I know...you might know Heli better than I do."

That alone makes something in Ezra tighten.

’Do I?’ Ezra thought, his gaze flickering slightly. ’At this point...do I really?’

"And maybe..." Alyce continues, lifting her eyes back to him, a faint hope settling in them now, "Maybe you can convince him. Or at least help me understand him better."

Ezra doesn’t interrupt.

He lets her speak.

Because it felt as if he did, she might stop.

"Maybe you can teach me things he likes," she adds, her voice quieter again, more uncertain, like she wasn’t sure if she was asking for too much. "So I can show him that I’m serious about us."

Her fingers curl slightly against her lap.

"I guess my mistake is that..." she pauses, then lets out a small breath, like she was finally admitting something she had kept to herself for a long time. "I haven’t dared to tell him that I genuinely like him."

Ezra blinks.

That—

That wasn’t what he expected.

"I’ve liked him for a long time," Alyce continues, her voice barely above a whisper now. "Even before he chose me as his bride."

Something in Ezra’s chest shifts. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Not emotionally.

But mentally.

A small piece sliding into place.

"Wait," Ezra says, leaning forward just slightly, his brows pulling together. "Since when?"

He thought they met the moment they got engaged.

Alyce looks at him, a faint smile forming, softer this time.

"Since we were children," she answers without hesitation. "The moment I first met him."

Oh.

Has it been that long?

Her gaze drifts for a second, like she is looking at something far away.

"Ever since then, I’ve been determined," she adds quietly. "To do whatever it takes to be with him."

Ezra stills.

’...since they were kids.’ Ezra thought, his mind already moving ahead of him.

That wasn’t recent.

That wasn’t something that developed over time because of their engagement.

That was...

Long-standing.

Deep.

Something rooted far before everything else.

’Before the Dark Ones,’ Ezra realized, his fingers tightening slightly against the table. ’Before everything started.’

His gaze sharpens, just for a second, as he looks at her again.

Alyce.

A princess.

Someone who had known Helios long before most of this.

Someone who had been determined to be with him no matter what.

’That could be a motive,’ Ezra thought, the idea forming whether he liked it or not. ’If someone wanted power...or to secure their place...’

Maybe she did it to help Helios remove the Dark Ones, if she somehow found out what Helios’ abilities were.

But—

He looks at her again.

Really looks.

At the end, she sat there.

The way her hands were still, but tense.

The way her eyes held onto something that didn’t feel like ambition.

It felt like...longing.

Something that had lasted years.

’...or maybe I’m overthinking.’

"When did you first meet Heli, Princess?" Lior asks, looking up at her, his voice light with curiosity as he paused mid-bite, crumbs still clinging to his fingers.

Ezra looks at her as well.

Because now that he thought about it—

He never really asked.

Not the specifics.

Not the details that actually mattered.

Alyce smiles.

But it wasn’t the same smile from earlier.

It was softer.

Almost sadder.

There was something sad in it as she looked down at her teacup, her fingers brushing lightly against the handle like she was grounding herself in the memory.

"Heli went to stay at our kingdom fifteen years ago during Spring," Alyce says, her voice gentle, almost distant, like she was reliving it rather than simply explaining. "He stayed with us for a whole week for diplomatic purposes, so I got to know him..."

She pauses.

Just slightly.

A faint breath leaves her lips before she continues.

"And I was immediately smitten."

Ezra froze.

Not visibly.

Everything stopped.

Fifteen years ago.

During spring.

Helios stayed at Alyce’s kingdom?

Fifteen years ago.

’...no,’ Ezra thought, his fingers tightening slightly against his lap as the words echoed in his head. ’That’s not right.’

That couldn’t be possible.

Because—

His mind raced.

Fifteen years ago.

Spring.

’That was...’ Ezra’s breathing shifted, just slightly, his chest rising a little faster as his gaze fixed on Alyce without really seeing her.

No.

No, that timing—

That timing didn’t make sense.

Or maybe—

It made too much sense.

"When was this exactly?" Ezra asks, his voice coming out tighter than he intended, the question cutting through the air more sharply than before. "Do you remember the exact dates?"