Chapter 159: Have You Ever Been In Love?
Alyce could be.
She had the motive.
And same as Circe, who was from another powerful kingdom, could have enough connections.
The thought didn’t sit well with him, but it stayed anyway, lingering in the back of his mind no matter how much he tried to push it aside.
The fact that she was there the moment Ezra was finished with meeting with the king as well was strange even though she said her reasons.
It felt a little too convenient.
She timed her present a little too well.
Also her reasons were good enough motive.
Alyce felt Helios didn’t love her.
That alone could push someone to do things they normally wouldn’t.
To act.
To interfere.
To take control in ways that didn’t look like control at all.
But...
On the other hand, the Dark Ones started appearing years before Helios and Alyce got engaged.
So, that wouldn’t make sense.
The timeline didn’t align.
No matter how he tried to twist it.
But still, Alyce was still a bit suspicious.
’It’s not enough to accuse... but it’s enough to watch,’ Ezra thought, his eyes narrowing just slightly as he sat there, quietly thinking it through.
"Yes, we are going to see the princess again tomorrow." Either to actually help her, or to figure out if she could also be a possible suspect.
Either way, he was doing the kingdom a service.
That was what mattered.
That was what he told himself.
"Hehe." Lior giggles as his face turned slightly pink. "I can’t wait to see her again."
Ezra blinked, the shift in tone pulling him out of his thoughts.
He fully turns to Lior, tilting his head slightly, his brows lifting in mild surprise.
"It’s surprising that you like someone so early."
There was a hint of amusement in his voice now.
Lior liking Alyce might even beat Kaelis’ record.
And the fact that Lior could say Alyce’s name perfectly said a lot.
"Princess Alyce is veryyy pretty." Lior says as he started coloring on paper, completely focused as he dragged the color across the page. "The prettiest girl ever."
Oh.
That wasn’t just admiration.
That was something else.
Lior didn’t just like Alyce.
’Lior’s first crush is Helios’ fiancée.’ Ezra thought, letting out a quiet sigh, though there was a small smile tugging at his lips.
It was ironic.
Funny even.
A little annoying.
Out of everyone—
It had to be her.
"You know she’s getting married to Helios, right?" Ezra asks, keeping his tone gentle, not wanting to sound like he was shutting it down too harshly.
He knew how kids were.
Feelings came easily.
Faded easily too, most of the time.
Unless they didn’t.
And Ezra had seen what happened when they didn’t.
Seen it.
Heard about it.
Watched other parents deal with it.
Lior shrugs, like it wasn’t a big deal. "She said Heeyos doesn’t like her. I don’t understand why Heeyos doesn’t like her though. She’s so pretty! Is Heeyos blind?"
Ezra let out a quiet laugh before he could stop himself, the question catching him off guard in the most honest way.
"He’s..." Ezra paused, shaking his head slightly. "Perhaps, he is."
’Or maybe he’s just looking at something else,’ Ezra thought, the idea slipping in before he could stop it.
He didn’t even want to wonder who.
"But you know, Lior," he added, his tone softening just a bit as he looked at him.
"Mhm?" Lior hums in response, not looking up from his coloring.
"Love isn’t just about seeing them as pretty or kind." Ezra says.
The words felt strange coming out of his mouth.
Like he wasn’t sure if he was explaining it to Lior—
Or reminding himself.
"What else?" Lior asks innocently.
Ezra went quiet for a second.
Just a second.
’What else...?’
For a brief moment, his mind didn’t give him anything simple.
Nothing clean. Just fragments. Feelings that didn’t quite fit into words.
"Hmm. When you love someone, you will be willing to do anything for them. Sometimes even things you don’t want to do."
Ezra says the first thing that comes in his mind, even if it feels heavier than what a child should hear.
"Love is sometimes having to accept who they are, but love can also mean changing for that person. Love can be happy, but love can also be angry or sad, even...empty."
His voice softened near the end, like the last word slipped out before he could stop it.
Ezra looks down on his lap. "And even during the sad, angry, or empty times...you still think to yourself, ah, it’s worth it. All of it is worth it."
He pauses after that.
Just long enough for the silence to settle.
But sometimes, there will always be a thought in the back of a person’s mind.
Was it worth it?
Especially if it’s unreciprocated.
But then again, is it pure love if the person expects anything in return?
Ezra couldn’t say that though.
It was too...sad.
Too complicated.
Lior had enough years to experience whatever he had to experience when he’s older.
He didn’t need to know the tragedy of unreciprocated love yet.
"Love sounds hard." Lior says with a huff, his brows scrunching slightly like he was already tired just thinking about it.
Ezra let out a quiet breath, the corner of his lips lifting just a bit.
"That’s why I’m telling you it’s not just about Princess Alyce being pretty or kind. There are a lot of factors in being in love." Ezra says. "So don’t ask the princess about it tomorrow, okay?"
"Okay, maman." Lior says, making Ezra smile at him.
That simple answer.
That easy trust.
It made everything feel lighter for a second.
But then...
"Maman, have you ever been in love?" Lior asks cluelessly and innocently, staring at him with wide eyes.
Ezra was taken aback.
The question hit a little too directly.
A little too close.
But he answered the truth anyway.
"Yes."
There didn’t seem to be any need to lie.
"With my papa?" Lior asks, blinking his eyes slowly.
’God, no.’ Ezra thought almost immediately, the reaction so fast it almost showed on his face, but he couldn’t say that to Lior.
Not like that.
Not now.
So instead, he rises from his seat, and walked towards Lior.
A small escape.
A quiet deflection.
Lior watched him curiously, his head tilting just a bit, waiting for an answer that didn’t come in words.
And then Ezra scoops him from the ground and into his arms.
"My first love is you, little one. I fell in love the moment I saw your cute little face." Ezra says, pretending to bite Lior’s cheek, making Lior giggle.
"Waah! Maman! I’m not food!"
"But you’re so yummy! Nom nom nom"
Ezra laughed softly against his cheek, holding him just a little tighter than usual.
For a moment, he didn’t think about anything else.
Not the investigation.
Not Alyce.
Not Kaelis.
Not Helios.
Just this.
Just Lior in his arms, warm and safe.
’Let me have this for a bit...’ Ezra thought, closing his eyes briefly before pulling back slightly.
He gently set Lior down, brushing his hair away from his face. "Alright, enough of that. Since you’re so energetic, we should do something before you get bored again."
Lior’s eyes lit up immediately. "Like what?"
Ezra glanced at the scattered papers and coloring tools nearby, then nodded toward them. "Let’s draw together. Just the two of us."
Lior gasped like Ezra had just suggested something incredible. "Really?!"
"Yes, really." Ezra smiled faintly, sitting back down and patting the space beside him. "We’ll bond a bit. Just us."
’Before everything gets complicated again...’
Lior scrambled over, nearly tripping in his excitement as he grabbed his paper. "We should draw dragons! And monsters! And big big castles!"
Ezra chuckled softly. "Dragons and monsters, huh? That’s very ambitious."
"I can do it!" Lior insisted, already scribbling something that looked more like a blob than a dragon. "You draw too, maman!"
"I am drawing," Ezra said, picking up a piece of charcoal and starting his own sketch, slower and more precise.
The room settled into something quiet again.
It was comfortable.
It reminded him of his time with Lior in their little cabin in another kingdom.
The soft scratching of charcoal against paper filled the space as Lior hummed to himself, completely absorbed.
Ezra found himself watching him more than his own drawing.
’He really does bounce back fast...’
There was something reassuring about that.
Something that made everything feel...lighter.
Then—
Knock. Knock.
Ezra’s hand paused mid-stroke.
Both of them looked toward the door.
A familiar voice followed.
"Ezra, may I come in?"
Ezra frowned slightly.
’That voice...’
Before he could answer—
"Kakay!"
Lior lit up instantly, jumping to his feet and running toward the door without a second thought.
Ezra blinked in surprise. "Wait—Lior—"
’He’s running too quick.’
He stood up halfway, reaching out instinctively. "Be careful, you might—"
The door opened.
And Lior tripped.
It happened so fast Ezra barely processed it.
One second Lior was rushing forward, the next his foot caught on something, and he fell straight onto the ground with a dull thud.
There was a beat of silence.
Then—
"WAAAH!"
Lior’s cry filled the room, loud and immediate.
Ezra’s heart dropped. "Lior!"
But Kaelis was faster.
His eyes widened the moment the door opened, his entire expression shifting as he stepped inside. "What on Aurethys happened?"