"Caelum," Elias called out, his voice echoing slightly in the spacious library as he selected books from a high shelf.
Caelum walked over to him immediately. "Heavy?" he asked, a hint of concern in his tone, as he relieved Elias of three large, imposing tomes that the prince was precariously balancing in one hand.
Elias shook his head, a soft smile gracing his features. "No. Can I ask you something personal?" he inquired.
"Anything at all," Caelum replied warmly, his own smile radiating sincerity. He carried the heavy books to a nearby table, carefully setting them down, before returning to stand close to Elias.
Elias turned, placing the remaining books he had been holding on the shelf, and then pulled Caelum gently but firmly closer by the waist. "Will visiting Sky Manor bring back painful memories of your solitude?" he asked, his eyes searching Caelum's face for any sign of distress.
Caelum's soft smile remained as he placed his hands flat against Elias' chest, shaking his head slowly. "No," he affirmed. "I actually went there just a few days ago to thoroughly clean the manor. It was a gift to my mother, and I inherited it after her passing," he explained, his voice calm.
"Can we stay there for a while?" Elias asked, leaning down to nuzzle his face into the comforting crook of Caelum's neck. "At least until the trials are over and the Duke of Ravenloft is finally apprehended?"
"Of course we can," Caelum readily agreed. "The only slight inconvenience is that there are no maids or staff to help with meals or housekeeping," he admitted.
"I don't care about that," Elias dismissed the concern with a wave of his hand. "We'll just find excellent restaurants in the city to dine at," he said cheerfully.
"I can cook, if you would be willing to try it," Caelum offered, a hesitant yet hopeful smile appearing on his face, unsure of the prince's reaction.
Elias pulled back quickly, his expression a comical mixture of pure shock and genuine excitement. "Yes!" he practically shouted, his voice ringing with enthusiasm. "I would absolutely love to taste your cooking, Caelum," he declared.
Caelum chuckled at Elias' overly enthusiastic reaction. "Should we take a leisurely long walk there, or perhaps the carriage?" he asked, contemplating the best mode of travel.
"A long walk?" Elias questioned, his brows furrowing slightly. "Or is it too dangerous for me to simply walk the streets of the capital?"
"It is dangerous," Caelum confirmed, his expression becoming serious. "And after careful thought, a carriage might actually be even more perilous," he added, considering the implications of their status.
"Because of the prominent royal emblem, I suppose?" Elias sighed, understanding the inherent risk.
Caelum nodded in agreement. He was just about to suggest they look for a carriage without the usual royal crest when his gaze fell upon one. "Wait. There is a carriage without any crest at all down at the manor's courtyard," he pointed out as he moved to the window to get a better look. "But that carriage certainly isn't one of yours," he observed, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Elias walked over to stand beside him, looking out. "That wasn't there this morning when I woke up," he said, his voice laced with suspicion.
Caelum nodded, a thoughtful look on his face. "Should we notify Matheas about this unexpected carriage?" he asked, suggesting a course of action.
Elias agreed with a brisk nod, pulling out the small, intricately carved pendant Matheas had given him and channeling a small surge of his magic into the communication device.
It took only two minutes for Matheas and Alexander to suddenly materialize in the library, their faces alight with concern. "What has happened?" they asked in unison, scanning the room for danger.
"That carriage," Elias said, pointing firmly towards the one without a crest in the courtyard below. "It definitely was not here earlier today," he reiterated.
"Caelum, Matheas, can both of you discreetly check to see who is inside that carriage?" Alexander requested, looking specifically at the two most capable guards.
Both of them nodded their understanding and, with practiced ease, opened the large window and swiftly jumped down, landing silently on the ground below.
Caelum, ever cautious, had already instinctively woven powerful holy barriers around both himself and Matheas for protection.
As they reached the door of the crestless carriage, it opened abruptly, and Isolde, the Queen, gracefully stepped out.
"Madam Isolde," Caelum greeted her politely, but his stance remained rigid and on full alert. "From where did this carriage arrive?" he pressed, his gaze unwavering.
"From my family estate," Isolde claimed, but even Caelum, with his sharp senses, could detect the undeniable strain of a lie in her voice.
Matheas, not one for subtlety, immediately pointed his glistening blade at her. "Do not dare lie to us, Madam Consort," he warned, his voice low and dangerous.
Suddenly, Matheas and Caelum spun around instantly as Alexander, the King, and Elias, the Crown Prince, appeared right behind them, having quickly followed. "Don't Matheas," Alexander commanded, concerned about the escalating confrontation.
The fierce, protective look on both Caelum and Matheas' faces was enough to make both the King and the Prince instinctively take a step back, sensing the gravity of the situation.
"Who, precisely, is inside that carriage, Madam Isolde?" Caelum asked again, his voice now dangerously cold and devoid of all emotion. "And where exactly did you go this morning?" he demanded.
"That would be me," a voice chimed in, and Arthur, Elias' younger blood brother, stepped out of the carriage. Arthur was Isolde's son, unlike Aurelius, who was only connected to Elias through their shared father.
While Matheas maintained his point with the blade at Isolde, Caelum shifted his focus and pointed his own weapon directly at Arthur. "Where did you truly go?" he interrogated the younger prince.
"To my family manor," Isolde repeated her earlier claim, though less confidently.
"Mother, please do not lie to him," Elias interjected, his voice trembling slightly. He knew Caelum would not be this visibly agitated unless he was acutely sensing that something profoundly wrong was occurring.
"The Solas family manor is located approximately 10 leagues outside of the capital city," Caelum stated the facts precisely. "It would require a minimum of 10 hours of travel just to reach it. Furthermore, even powerful royalty cannot teleport carriages, regardless of how great their magical abilities are," he logically explained.
Alexander immediately realized that the two men trying to protect his family were absolutely correct. He stepped forward to stand protectively in front of Elias, shielding his son. "Where did you go?" he asked, his voice stern and commanding. "Answer them truthfully, now," he ordered.
Both Isolde and Arthur remained stubbornly silent, refusing to confess.
"Should I venture a very wild guess, Madam Isolde, Prince Arthur?" Caelum asked ominously. As he spoke, a palpable ring of shimmering fire began to form at his feet, slowly rising until it encircled him up to his waist, a visible manifestation of his raw anger.
Elias gasped audibly, fear etched on his face. "Caelum," he called out, his voice urgent and pleading. "Please, calm yourself down," he begged.
"I am completely unable to calm down when I have a strong suspicion that they went to meet the former Prince Aurelius," Caelum hissed, his voice barely above a whisper, yet the quiet intensity of it was far more terrifying to both Isolde and Arthur than a shout would have been. "Look closely at the soil clinging to the carriage wheels: it is a deep red soil. Around the entire capital, only the immediate area surrounding the imperial prison is known to have this particular red soil. The time also fits perfectly for a trip to the prison from Emerald Manor if they began their journey very early this morning."
Elias and Alexander looked down at the wheels of the carriage and both gasped sharply, realizing the truth of Caelum's deduction.
Caelum was tragically correct.
"Why?" Elias' voice was filled with heartbreak. "I was the one who was harmed. I was the victim here. Why do you show such sympathy and affection for him?" he cried, hot tears streaming down his face. "Am I not your true son, Mother?" he screamed at Isolde, his grief overwhelming him.
Alexander immediately put a hand on his son's shoulder, holding him tightly as he attempted to pull the distraught prince into a comforting hug.
"First, you show him sympathy. Then, you begin visiting him weekly. And now, I've noticed you visit him daily. I have been observing this disturbing pattern for a full month now," Elias continued, his voice rough and strained from his last scream. "Do you truly believe he is the victim and I am the malicious schemer?" he challenged, his eyes full of pain. "Or did Arthur tell you that I was enjoying my time at the academy, ruthlessly slamming into Caelum every single night, causing him immense pain, and making him bleed?" he shouted again, but this time his voice was hoarse, cracking with emotion. "He always looked up to Aurelius more than me, and he consistently praised that older brother of mine instead," he sobbed, his knees finally giving out beneath him from the emotional exhaustion.
Caelum was the first to react, despite being a few feet away. He instantly rushed back to Elias, caught him before he hit the ground, and enveloped him in a protective hug. "You never hurt me," he whispered the assurance against Elias' ear. "You never did, not even from the very first day we were together," he promised him softly.
Elias instinctively wrapped his arms tightly around Caelum's waist, burying his tear-streaked face into Caelum's neck, seeking solace.
Caelum looked over Elias' shoulder directly at Alexander. "I gave Elias my word that I would never tell you about this part, but I am too enraged by Prince Arthur's actions to keep quiet. Prince Arthur had the absolute audacity to tell Elias that he was a pointless burden to me, when in reality, Elias was the one who bravely liberated me from the clutches of the Valtherons," he revealed, his voice steady despite his fury. He then turned his fiery gaze upon Arthur. "Mere jealousy for not having a guardian devoted enough to you, and resorting to helping the former first prince in his vile schemes is not the acceptable way to deal with your feelings, third Prince Arthur," he stated firmly. Then he addressed Isolde with a piercing look. "And Madam Isolde. Your own son admired and loved you profoundly for a very long time. All it took to shatter that deep admiration was for you to choose to pity the malicious schemer instead of supporting your innocent victim of a son."
Alexander and Matheas gasped sharply, utterly shocked by Caelum's harsh, unvarnished words, as they looked at Isolde's undeniably guilty expression and Arthur's face, which showed the clear shame of being completely exposed before his Emperor.
"Can we please leave this place?" Elias whispered, his voice small and weak.
Caelum nodded his understanding. "To your room, my love. We will lock the door securely from the inside, and I will place multiple holy and powerful fire protection barriers around us," he whispered back comfortingly.
"Let Father and Matheas inside the room after they have arrived," Elias whispered, giving his final instruction as, with a surge of combined magic, he instantaneously teleported both of them away to the safety of his private room.