Three days had passed since Rythe's return to the capital.
Three days since he found Aurean bloodied and near death in the dungeon beneath the palace.
Three days of silence—during which Rythe neither made an official report nor requested audience.
Now, summoned at last to the imperial throne room, he entered with a steady, deliberate stride.
The Emperor sat in his raised seat beneath the gilded lions, flanked by his children. To his right stood Kael, draped in crimson and smug silence. To his left, Calien—freshly returned from Rythe's side, his arms folded and expression unreadable.
The air was thick with expectation.
"You return victorious from your mission," the Emperor said, his voice rich and resonant, "yet it takes three days before you present yourself to your Emperor. Tell me, Rythe—where have you been?"
Rythe bowed low before he straightened again, eyes cool and steady. "I heard a concerning report the moment I stepped into the capital gates—that my servant, the omega assigned to my quarters, had gone missing."
"Missing?" Kael echoed, mockingly. "He's a servant, not a prince."
Rythe ignored him.
"I feared, given his past," Rythe continued, "that he may have fled... or worse—been taken by enemies."
"And instead?" the Emperor asked, resting his chin lightly against a curled hand.
Rythe's voice darkened. "I found him in chains. Locked away. Tortured. Alone. Beneath this palace."
A pause. Calien's gaze shifted slightly, but he said nothing.
The Emperor leaned back, unbothered. "With you gone, I deemed it appropriate to test his loyalty."
Rythe's face remained impassive.
The Emperor went on, "After all, it was not so long ago that this omega attempted to assassinate you, Rythe. You may have forgiven him—but the crown has not."
Kael chuckled beside him. "And yet you keep him at your side like a hound. One must wonder if he's trained—or just leashed."
Rythe still did not rise to the bait.
"Tell me," he asked the Emperor instead, "was he found guilty of anything?"
A pause.
The Emperor's smile cooled. "No. On the contrary... he did not break. He remained loyal. Both to the empire—and to you."
Rythe's jaw tightened subtly. But his voice was smooth as ice when he replied:
"Then perhaps I have indeed broken him."
Calien's gaze sharpened slightly at the word.
The Emperor hummed in approval. "A necessary lesson. He is an omega, after all. They are not built for loyalty until shaped by the hand of strength."
Rythe stepped forward one pace. "All traitors should be punished, Your Majesty. And those kept alive should know their place."
The room was silent.
Kael blinked. Calien's shoulders shifted as if he'd just noticed something shift beneath the surface.
The Emperor laughed—a low, pleased sound. "Well spoken, my son. You're beginning to see the world as it is."
He motioned to a steward.
"Have the omega released. He may return to his duties. He's passed his test... for now."
Rythe bowed again, and turned—only briefly catching Calien's stare from the corner of his eye.
A storm had passed.
But not without cracking something underneath.
The corridors of the imperial palace were quiet in the twilight hours—when even the marble began to cool and the courtiers slunk into their shadows.
Rythe stood by the training yard's eastern balcony, hands clasped behind his back, his gaze fixed not on the soldiers below—but far beyond, to the mountains that ringed the kingdom like sleeping beasts.
Footsteps approached.
He didn't need to turn to know it was Calien.
"You were... cold, back there," Calien said softly, pausing beside him. "Colder than I've seen you in years."
Rythe did not answer.
Calien gave a gentle chuckle. "I thought perhaps, after everything, your time at war would soften you. But seeing you speak so dispassionately of that omega... I realize now I was wrong."
Rythe's jaw flexed slightly.
"He really is nothing to you, then?" Calien tilted his head, watching Rythe closely. "A leashed dog who nearly sank his fangs into your throat once. You've simply... trained him."
Still, Rythe did not respond. But something in his stance was too still.
Calien stepped closer. "I worried, I'll admit. That maybe your silence these past weeks had something to do with him. But now I see—I see it clearly. You're still the Rythe I knew. The one who never let anyone in. Not truly."
He reached out, touched Rythe's arm.
"I'm glad," Calien whispered. "Because I know you. And I know that when you've had your fill of games and battles—you'll return. To me. Where you belong."
Rythe turned his gaze on Calien, eyes unreadable. "You always were good at seeing only what you wanted."
Calien blinked.
But Rythe said nothing more. He stepped away from the balcony and walked off, his shadow long in the dying sun.
Kael leaned back in a velvet chair, swirling a goblet of wine. Halric sat across from him, his expression sour.
"You said Rythe would burn the court to the ground," Halric grumbled. "That he'd snap like a dog with his favorite toy torn."
Kael exhaled slowly, frustrated. "He will. He's just hiding it. Waiting. But we'll drag it out of him eventually."
Halric's voice dropped. "You're sure Aurean didn't break?"
"I'm sure," Kael snapped. "And that's the problem."
He looked into the fire now. "But everyone breaks eventually. Even loyal dogs."