OBS Chapter 205: Just Near The Throne Room.
Chapter 205: Just Near The Throne Room.
"Then, I’ll see you...when I uh...see you, brother."
Aurien stutters over the words awkwardly, and honestly, it has been a while since Kaelis last heard Aurien stutter like that.
Which immediately makes Kaelis narrow his eyes slightly, by the second, Aurien turns away and starts fast-walking down the hall.
Too fast even for him.
Almost like he wanted to escape the conversation before it could continue any further.
’That’s odd.’
The meeting itself had ended without much else happening afterward, much to Kaelis’ disappointment.
No dramatic slip-ups.
No obvious mistakes.
Nothing concrete.
Kaelis had explained everything exactly the way Samson instructed him to.
His brothers listened.
Aamon listened.
And in the end, the conclusion remained simple.
The information regarding the cult would gradually be spread throughout the kingdom.
Not enough to cause panic.
But enough to make citizens more cautious.
More observant.
And most importantly—
More willing to approach the royal family if they noticed suspicious activity or possessed information connected to the cult.
Afterward, Samson had dismissed all three of his sons casually, claiming he wanted time alone with Aamon to "catch up."
Kaelis almost laughed at that.
Because somehow, despite the terrifying discussion they had just finished, Samson still sounded completely relaxed.
Like this was all just another entertaining game of strategy to him.
Meanwhile, Helios had left immediately afterward.
Not a single glance toward Kaelis.
Not one word.
Nothing.
And honestly?
That only made Kaelis even more suspicious.
’He’s probably about to go cry to his witch of a mother,’ Kaelis thought dryly as he walked through the halls.
Though beneath the sarcasm, his suspicion remained firmly rooted.
Because Helios had been acting stranger and stranger lately.
The cracks were becoming too obvious.
He was slipping up.
Getting too emotional whenever Ezra became involved.
Too controlling.
Too reactive.
And after today’s meeting—
Kaelis could practically feel the cracks beginning to form beneath Helios’ perfect image.
Still—
As much as Kaelis wanted to dwell on that, there was honestly only one thing he truly wanted to do right now.
Go back.
Check on Ezra and Lior again.
Especially Lior.
The memory of the child crying earlier still sat horribly inside Kaelis’ chest.
’He looked terrified.’
And Ezra, too.
Kaelis had never seen Ezra react that aggressively before.
Not toward him.
Not with that kind of panic in his eyes.
Something had clearly happened.
Something Ezra desperately didn’t want anyone seeing.
But Kaelis forced himself not to think too deeply about it right now.
Because another problem had suddenly started bothering him more and more,e the longer he replayed the meeting in his head.
Aurien.
Aurien had gone strangely quiet after the kidnappings were mentioned.
And afterward—
He left too quickly.
And rather abruptly.
Even when Kaelis attempted to casually talk to him afterward, Aurien barely stayed long enough to respond properly before trying to leave again.
That wasn’t normal.
Aurien liked talking.
Especially with Kaelis.
So now—
Kaelis waited.
Patiently.
For several minutes, actually.
Long enough that nobody would immediately suspect he was following anyone.
Then finally—
Kaelis slowly exhales through his nose as he begins casually walking through the palace halls.
’Time to figure out what exactly you’re hiding.’
His pace remained relaxed.
Unhurried.
Because Kaelis had spent years learning how to observe people without appearing suspicious himself.
The palace corridors were quieter now compared to earlier, most nobles were still busy discussing the sudden public announcement that the king had a message for all his subjects.
Servants occasionally passed by him, bowing politely as he walked.
Kaelis smiled back automatically whenever necessary.
But mentally—
He was focused.
Completely focused.
Aurien’s reaction earlier hadn’t looked like guilt exactly.
No.
It looked more like fear.
And that somehow bothered Kaelis more.
’What exactly did you react to?’ Kaelis thought quietly as he turned another corner.
The kidnappings?
The mention of the children?
Or Fleur De Lys itself?
Kaelis knew Aurien well enough to understand one important thing.
Aurien wasn’t a good liar.
Not compared to Helios.
Helios could hide emotions frighteningly well when he wanted to.
But Aurien?
Aurien felt everything openly.
Which meant if he was forcing himself not to react earlier—
Then whatever he was hiding had genuinely shaken him.
Kaelis’ expression slowly becomes more serious the farther he walks.
Because suddenly, for the first time since the investigation started—
He wasn’t completely sure anymore that Helios was the only real suspect.
After all, he could just be biased.
’...’
’...’
’...eh, not really.’
Kaelis almost snorted quietly to himself at the thought as he continued walking through the halls.
Because even if Helios wasn’t some grand mastermind behind everything—
He was still definitely doing something suspicious.
Something that did not benefit the kingdom.
And more importantly—
Something that did not benefit Ezra.
That alone already made Kaelis wary enough.
Still, he forces himself to focus back on Aurien instead as he continues following him from a distance.
And after several more minutes of observing him—
Kaelis notices something strange.
Aurien was going in circles.
Not obvious circles.
Subtle ones.
Small changes in direction.
Different hallways.
Different turns.
But Kaelis knew these palace halls just as well as Aurien did.
Better, probably.
And Aurien wasn’t actually going anywhere.
He kept moving just enough to look occupied while somehow staying within the same general area near the throne room.
’...Is he waiting to talk to father?’ Kaelis thought slowly, narrowing his eyes slightly as he watched Aurien disappear around another corridor.
That would make sense.
Maybe Aurien wanted answers privately.
Or maybe—
Kaelis pauses briefly.
Maybe Aurien was trying to work up the courage to ask something.
Because, despite everything, Aurien still cared deeply about Samson’s approval.
More than Helios did.
More than Kaelis himself did, honestly.
Kaelis quietly follows after him again, though this time more carefully.
Because Aurien had started slowing down slightly now.
And that usually meant he was thinking deeply enough to become more aware of his surroundings.
’Careful,’ Kaelis warns himself mentally as he steps around another corner.
Unfortunately—
A second too late.
Aurien suddenly glances back.
Kaelis’ eyes widen slightly.
’Shit.’
Instinct immediately kicks in.
Kaelis quickly steps backward out of sight before Aurien can properly see him, pressing himself against the wall silently.
His heart jumps once in annoyance.
Not fear.
Just irritation at nearly getting caught.
A few quiet seconds pass.
Kaelis stays still, listening carefully.
No approaching footsteps.
No questioning voice.
Nothing.
Then, finally, Kaelis slowly peeks out slightly.
Aurien was still there.
But thankfully—
He didn’t seem suspicious.
If anything, he just looked distracted again before continuing onward.
Kaelis exhales quietly in relief.
’That was close.’
He waits another moment before stepping away from the wall again.
This time,e though, Kaelis decides not to immediately continue following directly behind Aurien.
That would be too risky now.
Instead, he casually starts walking in the opposite direction first, planning to circle back around afterward instead of staying directly on Aurien’s trail.
Because if Aurien noticed him now—
That would become difficult to explain.
And Kaelis was not in the mood to improvise a believable excuse today.
Especially not after everything that happened already.
Still thinking, Kaelis turns another corner quickly—
And immediately bumps into someone.
Hard enough that the person nearly loses balance completely.
"Oh—"
Kaelis instinctively reaches forward immediately, grabbing them securely by the waist before they can fall.
"I apologize, I wasn’t looking where I was going—"
The words leave automatically.
Then Kaelis finally looks down properly.
And freezes.
"...Ezra?"
His eyes widened slightly in genuine surprise.
"What are you doing here?"