"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?"

Alyce blinks, clearly taken aback by the sudden shift in him, the way his tone lost its softness.

"Oh, uh..." she starts, her fingers tightening slightly around her teacup as she tries to recall. "He stayed with us around the third day of the month of March, he stayed for a whole week, so he left around—"

’Don’t say the 10th day of March...’

"—the 10th day of March."

Ezra’s heart stopped.

No—

It broke.

Not quietly.

Not gradually.

It felt like something inside him shattered all at once, sharp and sudden, like glass cracking under pressure before collapsing into nothing.

He could almost hear it.

That sound.

That break.

That was the day he and Helios met.

That day.

The one he held onto for years.

The one he built everything on.

That meant—

Helios had just arrived back at the kingdom when he met Ezra.

Ezra wouldn’t have cared.

Not really.

Not if it ended there.

But then—

The bread.

His breath caught.

All those pieces of bread.

The bread that was warm.

Freshly baked.

Enough to fill his stomach.

Enough to share with the others.

Enough to feel like—

For once—

He wasn’t forgotten.

That bread had always meant something to him.

It wasn’t just food.

It was kindness.

Proof that someone out there cared enough to give.

And Helios—

Helios had always made it seem like it was his doing.

All this time, his words, and every single time Ezra mentioned it.

Helios would say the right words.

Enough for Ezra to believe it.

Enough for Ezra to hold onto it like the truth.

’Because he was there,’ Ezra thought, his fingers curling tightly against his palms. ’He was there when it appeared.’

And Helios—

Helios always said—

He was just there at the right time.

Never more.

Nevertheless.

He never said he came from another kingdom.

Never said he had just returned.

And the bread—

The bread came even before he was in the kingdom.

Ezra’s breathing grew heavier, uneven now, his chest tightening with every thought that forced itself forward.

"I’m glad, even before, I was someone who could help you."

Helios’ voice echoed in his mind.

It was loud and clear.

And now—

It sounded different.

Wrong.

Twisted in a way Ezra didn’t know how to process.

’He lied,’ Ezra thought, his eyes widening slightly as the realization settled in, heavy and suffocating. ’Why would he lie?’

Why?

For what reason?

There was nothing to gain by lying to Ezra.

Nothing to prove.

So why?

How many times—

How many times had he done this? 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

How many things had Ezra believed without questioning?

His jaw tightens.

All this time—

Ezra loved him for being honest.

Respected him for being kind.

For being the kind of man who would leave freshly baked bread for a random street urchin without expecting anything in return.

That was the Helios Ezra believed in.

That was the Helios Ezra followed.

But if Helios wasn’t the one who gave him the bread—

Then who did?

Ezra felt like it was getting harder and harder to breathe.

Not all at once.

But slowly.

Like something was pressing against his chest, tightening with every thought that refused to settle, with every realization that came too fast and made too much sense.

The garden didn’t feel as open anymore.

The air didn’t feel as light.

It felt heavy.

A little too heavy for comfort.

"Captain...?" Alyce’s voice cuts through, softer now, uncertain in a way it hadn’t been before.

Ezra doesn’t respond.

He couldn’t.

Not immediately.

"Captain Ezra...are you alright?" Alyce asks again, this time leaning forward slightly, her brows pulling together as she studied his face more closely.

There was a pause.

Then—

"You look pale."

Ezra hears it.

His mind tried to register it.

But it doesn’t reach him the way it should.

Because his mind was still somewhere else.

Still stuck on that day.

On that bread.

On Helios.

’Think,’ Ezra thought, but even that felt distant. ’Just...think clearly for a second.’

He couldn’t.

Everything felt tangled.

Too many things are connecting at once.

Too many things are falling apart at the same time.

He should say something.

Anything.

Reassure her.

Brush it off.

But when he tries—

Nothing comes out.

Not a word.

His throat felt dry.

His chest tight.

’I should leave,’ Ezra thought suddenly, the idea forming quickly, almost desperately. ’I should just stand up, take Lior, and leave.’

That would be easier. Safer.

He was tired.

He hadn’t even been back for a week.

Not even a full week—

And everything was already falling apart.

The investigation.

The cultists.

The move.

Alyce.

Helios—

Everything somehow led back to him.

’I just need a moment,’ Ezra thought, his fingers pressing harder into his palm, grounding himself the only way he could. ’Just one moment to breathe.’

He shifts slightly in his seat.

His hand moves.

He was about to speak.

About to excuse himself—

When a voice cuts in from behind him.

"Well, I hope I’m not bothering, but I heard you two were having a tea party, and I couldn’t resist myself."

The voice was smooth. Casual. And familiar.

It sliced cleanly through the moment.

Ezra’s body went still before he even turned.

His breath hitched, just slightly.

’...of course,’ Ezra thought, something in his chest tightening again, but for a completely different reason now.

Alyce’s reaction was immediate.

Her eyes widened, lighting up in recognition as she stood from her seat without hesitation.

"Brother-in-law!"

"Kakay!" Lior also exclaims happily, his voice bright and full of excitement as he pushes himself up from his chair, already leaning forward like he was about to run again without thinking.

Ezra didn’t move.

Not yet.

For a brief second, he just sat there.

Still.

Then slowly—

He turned.

"Your Highness." He whispers as if he were asking him for help.

Something he never imagined he’d do.