The chamber smelled faintly of incense and medicine, the warm glow of the twin suns filtering through translucent curtains. Selene sat propped up in her wheelchair, her long hair flowing loose over her shoulders. Her cheeks, once pale, had begun to bloom with color again thanks to Jade's efforts.
Her fidgeted almost impatient, waiting for him. She had had him promise to visit again when she was well enough to receive guests.
Remembering those glowing silver orbs and that silken adorable face, a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
The door opened softly, and Jade stepped inside with Lio at his side. His small figure moved with that quiet composure of his — back straight, expression calm, his silvery-blue hair falling in neat strands around his delicate face.
Selene's eyes, tired but alight with curiosity, immediately sought him out.
"You…" her voice trembled, softer than silk, "…you're here."
Jade bowed his head lightly, not stepping too close out of respect. " Lady Selene. Please… don't strain yourself."
The way he spoke — so courteous, so measured — didn't sound like a child at all. Selene blinked, momentarily startled, then a small smile tugged at her lips.
How strange… such a serious face, on someone so little.
Her hands fidgeted on her lap before she finally extended one, beckoning. "Come closer. Just for a moment."
Jade hesitated. He always kept his distance; it was instinct, born of both caution and dignity. But after a glance at Lio's nervous eyes, he exhaled softly and stepped closer, stopping within arm's reach.
Selene's fingers brushed his hair, tucking it gently behind his ear. Smooth, cool strands slipped through her touch. Her heart squeezed.
"…so soft," she whispered.
Jade froze, not sure how to react.
And then, before he could retreat, Selene's hand shifted, cupping his cheek. Her palm lingered there as if testing the reality of him. His skin was warm, impossibly smooth. She let out a small laugh — a sound halfway between joy and relief.
"You look like a little prince carved from moonlight," she murmured, her eyes glistening. "And yet you speak like an old soul. How unfairly adorable you are…"
Jade's lips twitched. "Lady Selene, you're… overpraising me."
But Selene wasn't done. Almost impulsively, she leaned forward, pressing her cheek against his, closing her eyes as though soaking in the comfort of it. A contented sigh escaped her.
"Mm… so soft…"
Jade stiffened, his hands hovering helplessly in the air. Lio's eyes widened in sympathy — the governor's wife had also been caught by Jade's charm. But more importantly, Jade had charmed someone worse than Niamh .
Selene rubbed her cheek against Jade's again, her smile blooming wider. "I could stay like this forever."
Niamh, who had been watching silently from the side, actually snorted in laughter. Amara covered her mouth, her shoulders shaking.
Jade shot them a look — a silent please help me — but Niamh only shrugged, lips twitching with amusement.
Selene finally drew back, beaming at him, her hand still patting his head. "Don't be so serious all the time, little one. Children should smile more."
Jade exhaled slowly, the calm mask cracking just enough to reveal a faint blush at his ears. Lio shuffled closer, whispering:
"…you're in trouble."
Jade gave him a flat stare.
Selene giggled again, delighted by the sight of his composure slipping.
....
Selene's hands lingered on Jade's shoulders, unwilling to let go. But then her eyes flicked past him, catching the slightly taller figure half-hidden behind Jade's figure.
"And this must be your friend," she said softly, tilting her head.
Lio froze, ears turning red. He'd hoped staying quiet might keep him invisible.
Jade, sensing the shift, stepped slightly to the side so Selene could see him fully. "This is Lio. He's… important to me."
The phrasing, simple as it was, made Selene's heart swell. She extended a hand. "Come here, little one."
Lio shuffled forward reluctantly, keeping his eyes lowered. But the moment Selene's fingers touched his hair, smoothing it back, his posture stiffened — then melted.
"Oh… you're just as darling," Selene whispered, her voice thick with motherly affection. Without hesitation, she drew him in too, until both Jade and Lio found themselves caught on either side of her wheelchair.
Her arms looped around them, pulling them close, her cheeks brushing first Jade's, then Lio's.
"Two treasures," she murmured contentedly. "Two bright stars. I don't know how I could have been so fortunate to meet you both."
Lio ducked his head, embarrassed, but Jade's expression was priceless — a calm mask stretched thin as Selene unabashedly rubbed her cheek against his once again.
"Lady Selene," Jade said carefully, "this really isn't—"
"Shhh," she hushed him, smiling mischievously. "I know what's best for me. And right now, it's this."
Niamh's laughter finally escaped, loud and unrestrained. "Ha! Looks like you've met your match, Jade."
Amara pressed a hand to her lips, her eyes shining with mirth. "He really doesn't know how to handle it, does he?"
Jade shot them both a betrayed glare, ears burning.
Selene, delighted, leaned her forehead gently against Jade's temple, then against Lio's. "So serious… both of you. It's good for children to be wise, but it's better for them to be loved."
Her words, though playful, carried a gentle gravity.
For the first time, Jade's shoulders slackened a little. Lio let out a small breath, his head resting lightly against Selene's arm.
Selene smiled at the change, rubbing both their cheeks again in utter contentment. "There. That's much better."
Jade sighed, resigned. "…You're not going to let me go, are you?"
"No," Selene said simply, her grin radiant. "Not until I've had my fill."
Niamh and Amara burst into another round of laughter, the sound filling the room like sunlight.
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The Pavilion's crystal dome shimmered in the rising light of Nexus' twin suns, refracting color across its arching spires. It was the kind of place built to impress men. Marble steps stretched wide as rivers, traced with veins of luminous silver, and banners depicting Nexus' crest swayed high above— a seven-pointed star cradled within a sphere. Every noble, guildmaster, and councilor worth their title was gathered here, their carriages lining the sky-docks in a parade of wealth and arrogance.
But all that grandeur, all that weight of history, paled against the murmured curiosity that lingered in the air:
The Governor's wife had returned.
Alive, radiant, saved by hands no one expected.
Inside, the Pavilion pulsed with low conversation. Robes and gowns shimmered with nebula-dyed silk, jewels caught light and bent it into prismatic arcs. Guild representatives kept to their corners, stiff and sour, while councilors played at calm, though their eyes betrayed unease. A faint murmur circled like a current, carrying one name over and over—
The blindfolded boy alchemist.
....
....
Hours earlier, in the Governor's residence, Selene's insistence had shattered any thought of Jade avoiding the spectacle. She sat in her chair, pale skin flushed faintly with recovering vitality, her hands folded primly on her lap—yet her eyes glittered with unmistakable resolve.
"You saved my life, little one. Don't think you'll let me face that nest of jackals without you."
Jade's calm silver eyes blinked slowly, the faintest furrow tugging between his brows. "Lady Selene, it would draw unnecessary attention. I—"
"No," she cut firmly, leaning forward as much as her body allowed. Her fingers brushed his cheek, thumb lingering with almost greedy tenderness. "Attention is exactly what they need. You and Lio will walk in with me. Let them see who restored me. And if they stare—good. Let them choke on it."
Her cheek pressed to his, for no reason other than indulgence, and Jade—seven years old in body, forty-five in spirit—held his composure with admirable stoicism. Lio, however, flushed red and rubbed his sleeve across his face in awkward protest.
"Lady Selene, you'll suffocate him," Lio mumbled, though his smile betrayed a hint of amusement.
Niamh chuckled from the side, her arms folded, her presence as immovable as ever. "Let her. If Jade can face a dungeon, he can withstand affection."
Amara, elegant even in her silence, adjusted a strand of dark hair over her shoulder and smiled faintly. The butler had summoned the house staffs the night before, ensuring dresses, suits, and attendants swarmed the chambers.
And so Jade found himself standing still while tailor-automatons whirred softly around him. His simple clothes were replaced with a robe woven from star-silk, silver-white to match his disguised features. Embroidered constellations traced the hems, faintly glowing when caught by light. His hair, already striking in its pale silver, was brushed until it cascaded like liquid frost down his back. At Selene's insistence, a delicate clasp shaped like twin suns was fixed near his shoulder.
Lio wore deep navy accented with threads of gold, his wild hair finally tamed by the attendants into something respectable, though his restless fidgeting nearly undid their work.
Niamh was given a gown of dark green trimmed with jade—an irony not lost on Jade himself—its cut dignified without gaudiness. Amara, by contrast, wore a layered dress of pale violet, sharp at the shoulders, flowing at the waist, marking her as someone not to be underestimated.
When Selene was at last lifted into her wheelchair, dressed in a gown of luminous pearl-white threaded with faint starlight, the attendants gasped aloud. She was no longer the ghost of sickness—they had clothed her like a queen of worlds.
And Selene's gaze never left Jade as she whispered with a playful hum, "You'll stay close."
---
Arrival at the Pavilion
The carriage that bore them glided across Nexus' central district on hovering conduits, escorted by the Governor's guards in full ceremonial armor. People stopped to watch, some bowing, others whispering in awe as the pale woman within, thought long lost, passed before them.
When the carriage halted at the Pavilion's steps, Kael was already waiting. The Governor stood tall in obsidian-lined robes, his presence cutting through the murmuring crowd like a blade. His eyes caught his wife's first, softening, but then shifted to the children at her side.
Jade felt the weight of that look—a mixture of gratitude, calculation, and something harder to read. Kael's lips curved, almost imperceptibly, into a smile. A shake of his head followed, the kind one gives when helpless before inevitability.
She truly brought them, his look seemed to say.
The nobles' murmurs sharpened as Selene descended—helped not by attendants, but with Jade steadying her side, Lio close at her other hand. Niamh and Amara followed, their elegance undeniable, a sharp reminder that the Governor had not neglected those who had sheltered his family in exile.
Gasps rippled. A boy with hair like burnished silver, eyes like starlight, walked beside the Lady as though he belonged there.
The vaulted doors opened, spilling light across the polished floor, and silence fell in waves as the party entered.
Every guild representative turned. The Alchemy Guild's seats, gilded but tense, stiffened visibly when they saw Selene alive, radiant, and leaning protectively toward the boy at her side.
Selene's hand drifted almost unconsciously to Jade's cheek again, her thumb brushing in open affection. Nobles whispered behind jeweled fans, scandalized not by the gesture itself, but by who received it. A child from the slums? Dressed like a star-prince?
Kael strode forward, his voice cutting clean through the murmurs.
"Councilors. Guildmasters. I stand before you today with my dearest—my wife, restored. And those beside her whom we owe our deepest gratitude."
His gaze lingered deliberately on Jade, and though he did not speak the boy's name yet, the implication hung heavy: this child is under my roof, under my protection.
Selene, entirely unbothered by the stares, leaned to rub her cheek against Jade's once more, sighing contentedly. The Pavilion, filled with the cold games of politics, seemed almost scandalized by such open, motherly affection.
And Jade, calm as always, gave her the respectful distance she allowed while bowing slightly to the assembly. His silver eyes betrayed neither pride nor fear—only composure that many found unsettling for a boy so young.
...