Chapter 144: Teresita.
At first, ignoring Kaelis had been easy.
It was almost childish, a quiet kind of revenge that Ezra didn’t even bother hiding.
Lior played along with him without question, turning his head away whenever Kaelis spoke, whispering back to Ezra like they were sharing a secret.
For a while, it was almost amusing.
Almost.
But as the carriage continued moving through the night, the small game faded.
Lior’s energy slowly wore off, his small body growing heavier in Ezra’s arms. His head eventually rested against Ezra’s chest, his breathing evening out, soft and steady.
He fell asleep like that, still tucked close.
Ezra adjusted his hold instinctively, one arm supporting Lior, the other resting lightly over his back.
After that, there was nothing left to distract him.
And Ezra didn’t feel like speaking anymore.
It seemed Kaelis didn’t either.
So the silence stayed.
The entire carriage was quiet.
Not the comfortable kind.
The kind that stretched.
The kind that made you aware of every small movement, every breath, every shift of the wheels beneath them.
Hours passed like that.
They had left when it was still dark, the forest nothing but shadows and shapes, but now there was light creeping in.
The faint glow of early morning filtered through the windows, soft enough to ease the darkness without fully replacing it.
Ezra could tell they were close.
The change in the air.
The quieter roads.
The way the trees started to thin out.
’I’m exhausted.’
The thought came quietly, heavier than he expected.
Ezra glanced across the carriage.
Kaelis was by the window, his gaze fixed outside, his expression unreadable in the soft light.
Ezra narrowed his eyes slightly.
’I was wrong about him.’
It wasn’t something he liked admitting, even in his own head.
’He’s smarter than I thought. More observant...’
Ezra hesitated.
’...more human than I gave him credit for.’
Kaelis had noticed things.
Things Ezra hadn’t even realized were obvious.
Things Ezra himself had been trying to ignore.
However—
Ezra’s expression flattened slightly.
’He’s still annoying.’
That hadn’t changed.
Not even a little.
Kaelis still spoke like he enjoyed getting under Ezra’s skin, still pushed in ways that felt unnecessary, still had that habit of saying things that lingered longer than they should.
And it wasn’t just him.
Aurien too.
Both of them had said the same thing.
That Helios wasn’t what Ezra thought he was.
That Helios could be difficult.
That Helios wasn’t... perfect.
Ezra exhaled slowly.
’They’re exaggerating.’
But even as he thought it, the memory from earlier surfaced again.
Helios’ voice.
The way he looked at him.
The way he said—
"You’re choosing someone else over me."
Ezra’s grip on Lior tightened just slightly.
Not enough to wake him.
Just enough to ground himself.
’...he wasn’t wrong to be upset.’
This was the first time.
The first time, Ezra hadn’t put Helios first.
The first time,e he chose something else.
Someone else.
Lior.
And Ezra didn’t regret it.
Not even a little.
But he could understand why Helios reacted the way he did.
He was Helios’ knight.
He had always been at his side.
So of course, it felt like something had changed.
Because it had.
Even so, Ezra didn’t hate him.
He didn’t think less of him.
If anything, the opposite.
’Maybe I was the one who made him into something he’s not.’
Ezra had always seen Helios as perfect.
Untouchable.
Someone who always knew what to do, what to say, how to act.
But Helios wasn’t just a prince.
He was still human.
He could get angry.
He could misunderstand.
He could feel hurt.
And Ezra had never really allowed himself to see that before.
’That’s on me.’
The realization settled quietly in his chest.
Not painful.
Just... honest.
’I should’ve known better.’
Ezra let out a slow breath, his gaze lowering slightly.
’When we get back... I need to talk to him again.’
Not like before.
Not defensive.
Not frustrated.
Properly.
He couldn’t expect Helios to understand something he had never explained.
From Helios’ perspective, it must have looked like Ezra suddenly chose to stand beside Kaelis.
To work with him.
To trust him.
And maybe—
Even to choose him.
Ezra’s jaw tightened slightly.
’That’s not what this is.’
He just needed Helios to understand that.
Because if he didn’t—
Ezra wasn’t sure what that distance between them would turn into.
’Hah... whatever...’ Ezra thought, his gaze fixed outside as the first light of morning spread across the horizon.
The sky shifted slowly, the dark giving way to softer colors, the kind that usually calmed him.
It didn’t do much today.
’I have to deal with the king first...’ he exhales quietly. ’Then I’ll figure everything else out.’
His eyes drifted to the road ahead, then to the side as the carriage passed through a small stretch of village land.
A few people were already out, starting their day.
Some were setting up their tools, others sweeping the ground in front of their homes, and a few simply walking with baskets in hand.
It was normal, quiet, and very peaceful.
And then—
Ezra’s eyes widened.
There, just by the roadside.
A familiar figure.
A small stall.
Something he hadn’t seen in a long time.
"Hold on," Ezra says suddenly, his voice cutting through the silence.
Kaelis turns his head. "What?"
"Tell the footman to stop."
"Ezra, what—"
"John! Hey, John, stop!" Ezra calls out louder, leaning forward slightly.
The carriage slows.
Then stops.
Right in front of the stall.
"Maman?" Lior’s sleepy voice breaks through, his small body shifting as he blinks awake from the sudden movement. "Are we here?"
"No, little one," Ezra says quickly, already moving, his excitement slipping into his tone despite everything. "Not yet, but..."
He carefully lifts Lior, adjusting him in his arms as he prepares to step out.
"Ezra, what are you doing?" Kaelis asks, his voice now edged with concern.
"Teresita," Ezra answers without hesitation. "I told Lior about her before. She sells pastillas. They’re really good. I thought she stopped, but she’s here."
For a moment, Kaelis looks at him.
Then something in his expression drops.
"I don’t think you should—"
Ezra doesn’t listen.
He hadn’t felt this kind of excitement in a while.
Something simple. Something mundane.
Something that had nothing to do with knights or cultists or secrets.
He just wanted Lior to try it.
That was all.
So he steps out of the carriage, landing lightly on the ground before helping Lior down beside him.
"Oh, young man, do you want to buy—"
The familiar warm voice reaches him.
The same as he remembered.
Ezra takes a step forward, a small smile already forming. "Hello, Ma’am, do you remember—"
He stops.
The words die in his throat.
Because the expression on her face—
It wasn’t recognition.
It was fear.
Pure fear.
As if she were looking at something dangerous.
As if she was looking at him like he was something to run from.
’What...?’
Before Ezra could even process it, Teresita suddenly stood up, grabbed a pack of pastillas, and threw it at him.
It hit his chest.
Not hard.
But it still made him flinch.
Not because of the impact.
The flinch was mostly emotional pain.
"You can’t take this away from me again!"
Ezra’s brows furrowed, confusion settling in fast. "What... take what away from—"
A slipper flies toward him.
He jerks slightly, instinctively pulling Lior closer.
"You can’t do this again!" she yells, her voice shaking. "I’m selling in front of my home! I don’t need a permit!"
"Permit?" Ezra repeats, completely lost now.
Lior presses closer to him, his small hands clutching at his clothes.
"M-Ma... what’s happening?" Lior whispers, his voice trembling.
Ezra doesn’t know how to answer.
’I don’t know either...’
He takes a step back, trying to create space, trying to understand what was going on, but the situation only grows heavier.
People were starting to look.
A few heads turned.
A small crowd began to gather.
The calm from earlier was gone.
Then—
A firm hand lands on his shoulder.
"Madame, please don’t worry," Kaelis says, his voice calm, steady in a way Ezra couldn’t manage right now. "We’re not here to shut you down."
Teresita freezes.
Her expression shifts, recognition finally setting in.
"P-Prince Kaelis..."
"Ezra here just wanted to buy your pastillas," Kaelis continues smoothly, glancing briefly at Ezra before looking back at her. "But it seems we’ve caused a bit of a scene."
His gaze flickers toward the growing crowd.
"I apologize. We’ll be leaving now."
Before Ezra could react, Kaelis gently lifted Lior into his arms, holding him securely, then guided Ezra back toward the carriage.
Ezra doesn’t resist.
He’s too stunned to.
The moment they’re inside again, the door closes, and the carriage starts moving once more.
The noise fades.
The people.
The stall.
Teresita.
All of it.
Ezra sits there, still, his mind trying to catch up.
His chest feels tight.
He felt confused and very unsettled.
He turns his head slowly, looking at Kaelis.
"How could she not recognize me?" he asks, his voice quieter now, almost disbelieving.
Kaelis pats Lior’s back gently, soothing him as he settles again, then lets out a small breath.
"She probably did," Kaelis says after a moment.
Ezra’s brows furrow. "What...?"
Kaelis glances at him, his expression more serious than before.
"She just recognized your uniform first."
"Explain."