Samuel and Ayla left shortly after breakfast for what the Imperial Academy called an experience exchange and what Samuel described as "being allowed to inspect everything adults normally tell us not to touch."
Liam had chosen not to ask for clarification.
The academy had assigned escorts, instructors, and enough security that even Arik had approved the visit without adding another six guards, which meant Liam had several unexpected hours without either sibling appearing in his office to ask questions about Nurian ether systems, imperial gossip, or whether Mezos had always looked annoyingly young for his age.
That should have made the morning peaceful.
Instead, Liam had Rubis.
More specifically, he had Rubis hiding something.
Liam noticed within twelve minutes.
