Cael’s POV

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“What’s your mom’s name?” Cael asked, trying to keep his voice light, but his heart hammered in his chest.

The boy lowered his gaze, shoulders tense, “…I don’t remember.”

Cael could see the reluctance in the kid’s posture, but something told him there was more to this than just a nk memory.

Vessa, ever the calming presence, gave him a sharp look to be patient, then turned back to Judith, her voice soft and coaxing. “You have such beautiful eyes, Judith. Are they like your mom’s? Does she have grey eyes too?”

Judith’s eyes flickered with interest, like she’d baited ia /ifish and it had finally taken the hook. He looked up, the slightest excitement in his voice, “No! Mom’s eyes are brown, like amber. They’re super pretty!”

Cael’s heart nearly stopped. Amber eyes… ra’s eyes had been amber.

Vessa smiled warmly. “I bet she’s a beautifuldy, huh? Does she have long, curly hair?”

Judith’s face lit up as he nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Long, all the way to her waist! But not curly, more like straight.” He puffed out his chest, proud to describe his mom. “And she has a heart–shaped face. She looks like a warriorb–/bstrong and beautiful!”

The ss in Cael’s hand slipped, crashing to the floor with a sharp sound. He could hardly breathe. His mind raced–That’s ra. It’s her. Her son….

Judith jerked back at the sound of the ss shattering, his wide eyes filled with rm. “What happened?”

Cael forced himself to breathe, trying to mask the tremor in his hands. “Nothing,” he said quickly, his voice strained as he kept his gaze fixed on Judith. “Vessa, we need to talk. You and Leira go ahead and eat. We’ll catch upter.”

He gestured for Vessa to follow him, his legs moving before his mind could even catch up. As soon as the door clicked shut, Vessa took a sharp breath, her eyes wide.

“Holy hell… That boy’s mother-” she gasped.

“Is ra’s,” Cael cut in, his voice low and filled with disbelief as he clenched his fists. “That’s ra’s child!”

Vessa blinked, a frown furrowing her brow. “Wait, wait. Let’s think this through. A lot of people have brown eyes and heart–shaped faces. That’s not enough to go on-”

“No. But that sniffing thing?” Cael’s voice cracked as he recalled something that had haunted him. “ra always sniffed her food before eating–always–to make sure it was clean. That was her quirk. I never saw anyone else do it… not until Judith.”

The two of them exchanged a silent, knowing look.

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“This… This is insane,” Vessa muttered, rubbing her temples. “What’s he doing here? And more importantly,

where is ra?b” /b

Cael’s mind was spinning. He was trying to piece everything together, but it wasn’t adding up. “Hold on,” Vessa interrupted his thoughts. “If that’s ra’s kid, then… that means… his father is-”

“Dorian,” Cael ground out, his jaw clenched tight. “Dorian’s the father. ra was with him for years. It has to be him.”

Vessa sucked in a sharp breath. “God. Just imagine if Thorne finds out about this.”

Cael let out a bitterugh. “Thorne will lose it. He’ll go crazy. A child of his ex… and his rival’s son? He’d strangle him in a heartbeat. We can’t let him find out.”

“You’re right,” Vessa sighed. “Let’s go back in there. We need to keep our cool, Cael. Don’t scare the kid.”

The door creaked open as they returned to the dining room. Judith and Leira were happily digging into a te of pumpkin pie.

“What did you talk about, Mom and Dad?” Leira asked, her mouth full of pie.

Cael smiled, though it felt like his face might crack under the strain. “Nothing. Just… eat your pie.”

Vessa ruffled her daughter’s hair, trying to keep things casual. Cael’s eyes were still glued to Judith, his stomach twisting as he kept finding more and more of ra in this child’s face.

Judith caught his gaze and blinked. “Anything wrong, sir?”

Cael’s heart skipped. He could feel a lump forming in his throat. “No… Nothing at all,” he forced out, his voice a little too tight. “And don’t call me ‘sir.’ Call me… Uncle Cael.”

Uncle Cael. The words stung more than they should have. This was ra’s son. His beloved sister’s child. And yet, ra had nevere to see him.

Where was she? Had shee home yet?

That night, Judith slept in their suite. By the time the next morning rolled around, the adults were off at meetings, leaving the kids to entertain themselves.

Leira eagerly invited Judith to join her and her friends for a game of hide–and–seek.

“But I’ve never yed hide–and–seek before,” Judith admitted, looking confused.

Leira’s jaw dropped. “What?! You haven’t? What do you do at home then?”

Judith scratched the back of his head, clearly ufortable. “I study. Read books with my mom. And… train.”

Leira’s eyes widened in disbelief. “That’s all you do? That’s crazy! You need to y with us today! Come on, I’ll teach you the rules!b” /b

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The kids ran outside to the garden. Leira took on the role of seeker for the first round. She covered her eyes and started counting, while Judith and the others scattered, finding their hiding spots.

Judith wasn’t sure how he felt, but his excitement grew. He really wanted to win.

He darted all the way to theke, spotting a tall tree by the water. The thick branches offered a perfect ce to hide, so he climbed up and tucked himself behind the leaves.

All around him, the kids‘ughter echoed. It sounded like Leira had already caught a few of the others. Judith held his breath, waiting for her to get closer.

Minutes ticked by, but just when he thought he might be safe, the branch beneath him gave a dangerous wobble.

CRACK!

The tree shook, and Judith went tumbling into theke. The cold water swallowed him up instantly.

His lungs burned as he gasped for air, iling desperately to stay afloat. He couldn’t swim.

I’m going to drown! He thought in sheer panic.

Just then, a strong pair of hands grabbed him by the shoulders, hauling him to the surface. Judith felt himself being dragged to the shore.

He coughed violently as he copsed on the solid ground, gasping for air. He looked up, still wheezing, and found himself staring into the cold eyes of Thorne.

“Maids!” Thorne barked, his voice like ice. “What the hell were you doing? Who’s supposed to be watching the kidsb? /bIf I hadn’t been here…”

Judith shivered in the towel that Thorne quickly wrapped around his wet shoulders. The king’s anger was palpable.

“Who was supposed to keep an eye on him?” Thorne’s voice was furious, his re piercing through the terrified servants.

Judith tugged on Thorne’s sleeve, his small voice trembling. “Don’t me them, Daddy. I was ying hide- and–seek with the girls. I… I really like the game.”

Even with the fall, Judith was smiling, his childish innocence shining through.

Thorne’s lips tightened in frustration, but something shifted in his gaze. Judith’s words had settled into his mind. The boy needed someone to look after him. Someone he could trustb. /b

“I’ll find you a nanny tomorrow,” Thorne muttered, barely acknowledging Judith’s request. “But until then, stay where bI /bcan bsee /byou.”

Judith’s face lit up. “Can I have thatdy we met yesterday? The young, pretty one? Not the old, ugly one.”

Thorne raised an eyebrow. “Lady ra?”

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“Yeah!” Judith said eagerly, tugging at his hand.

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Thorne looked at the boy with a strange smile. If only it were that simple, he thought. “I’ll… talk to her. But first, we’ll have to see if she’s qualified.”

Judith beamed. “Okay! Thank you, Daddy!”

As Thorne walked away, a part of him couldn’t help but feel something stir deep inside. He would do anything for this boy… but first, he’d need to figure out what the hell to do with him.