Lucius didn't speak until he was back inside the car.
The guard followed without question, the door closing behind him with a soft hydraulic hiss. As the engine purred to life, Lucius sat in silence for a beat, the city's gilded district passing slowly beyond the window. His blue eyes didn't move from the road, but the line of his jaw was tight.
"Find out who he is," he said finally.
The guard didn't blink. "Yes, Your Highness."
"I want the full report in the next hour."
The car turned smoothly down a narrower lane, the buildings growing older, more ornate. Lucius tapped his thumb once against the armrest, his thoughts circling like a hawk over water.
The boy hadn't bowed. Hadn't stammered. Hadn't even flinched.
He wasn't just another ambitious protégé under Serathine's care—Lucius had seen dozens of those. This one was different.
The car pulled into the North Wing's secure entrance, an underground port shielded from public view. Fluorescent lights flickered to life overhead as the car eased to a stop. Mael opened the door without waiting for a signal.
"Your office is prepped," the guard said. "And your secretary's already inside."
Lucius stepped out, wordless. The echo of his footsteps on polished concrete followed him through the corridor, the air cool and sterile in the way only government architecture managed.
Inside his private office, sleek and soundproof, his secretary, Ilar, stood waiting beside the digital wall display. The glass shimmered with pale blue text—files already decrypted.
"It's early," Lucius said, unbuttoning his coat. "You had more than an hour."
Ilar smiled faintly. "He's not invisible, sir. Just very well buried."
Lucius approached the screen, watching as the first photo loaded: a crumbling estate in the far north, half snowed in, listed under the name Calvain-Kilmer. The boy's place of origin.
Lucius took the tablet and skimmed the top line:
LUCAS OZ KILMER
Born: April 3rd
Mother: Misty Kilmer — fiancée of Andrew Le Chattae
Sister: Ophelia Kilmer
Father: Unlisted
Status at Birth: Unregistered dependent; later legalized via rural court
Secondary Gender: Omega (declared at birth, not yet awakened)
Education: Fragmented. Removed from public registry between ages 13–17. Privately tutored. Trimestrial exams—scored consistently in the 95th percentile or higher.
Lucius scrolled further. "Why wasn't he in the system?"
"Looks like he was never formally entered after birth. His mother filed for delayed registration after his tenth birthday. The court approved it. No further details on why the delay occurred." Ilar inhaled before continuing. "There is something out of place. A contract."
Lucius didn't move, but the air around him seemed to sharpen.
"A contract?" he repeated, his voice quiet. Dangerous.
Ilar, his secretary, nodded once, though a flicker of unease passed over his face.
"Yes, Your Highness. It is buried deep in the legal record, filed under provincial authority via a private broker in the northern districts. Sealed, then transferred to a private registry using Misty's credentials and her partner's proxy."
Lucius's eyes narrowed. "Christian Velloran?"
"Yes," Ilar said. "The Velloran estate finalized a custodial contract when the boy was thirteen. Payment confirmed. Monthly payments for education and health. Terms indicate full custodial influence over bond eligibility, medical authority, and heat induction. It isn't written like a marriage contract. It reads more like… ownership."
Lucius's gaze dropped back to the report still open on his desk.
There were many things the Empire tolerated in shadows. Arranged engagements between houses, especially for omegas of noble or imperial blood, were not uncommon. But this—this language was predatory.
And Lucas had been just a child.
"Why wasn't this flagged?" Lucius asked, already knowing the answer.
"Because the Emperor never signed the formal recognition. Misty declared him unfit for court life and waived imperial parental rights on his behalf. She claimed it was for his health. The local court filed her statements under protective custody statutes."
Lucius closed the file slowly. With care.
"And no one questioned it?"
"Not until now," Ilar said. "Now that he's resurfaced. Under Serathine's protection."
Lucius stood, the motion smooth but final. His expression didn't shift, but something cold settled in his gaze.
"This is more than odd; the Emperor never shied in recognizing his children. It's part of his duty to have as many heirs as possible. Why is Lucas the exception?"
Ilar hesitated for a moment—just long enough to show he had anticipated that question, but not the answer.
"There was a request," he said carefully. "Filed along with the delayed registration papers. It wasn't signed by His Majesty. It was signed by Misty herself."
Lucius's brow lowered.
"She filed a formal petition to keep the boy unrecognized?" he asked, his voice calm but flint-edged.
"Yes. The reasoning cited was to ensure Lucas's safety and allow him to develop away from court pressures. She requested full custodial autonomy and the waiver of all imperial duties or privileges until the child was of age." Ilar paused. "It was approved under a minor clause. One the Emperor doesn't normally use, and the Emperor was never mentioned as the father."
Lucius's hands folded behind his back, his eyes fixed on a distant point across the courtyard, like the puzzle pieces were rearranging themselves in real time.
"She isolated him deliberately," he murmured. "Kept him off the record, out of the palace, away from scrutiny."
"And just close enough to sell," Ilar added under his breath.
Lucius didn't respond immediately. His jaw twitched once, then stilled again.
"Pull every court record," he said finally. "Every petition, every transfer, every communication with the northern brokers was tied to her name. I want to know who protected this arrangement—and why it was allowed to stand for seventeen years."
Ilar bowed his head. "It's already in motion."
Lucius turned back to his desk and tapped the folder closed with the tips of his fingers. A small, composed motion—but the air in the room no longer felt still.
Not with that name on the file.
Not with that boy now walking under Serathine's banner.
"Send a message to the Emperor," Lucius said quietly. "I want to know if he ever saw this contract. Schedule a meeting as soon as possible."