Chapter 26
Kael's POV
The silence in the room grew heavier.
Not uncomfortable.
But weighted.
With history.
With understanding.
—
Raphael exhaled slowly. "…Do you remember the first time we met?"
Kael didn't answer.
But the memory surfaced instantly.
—
Rain.
Cold.
Relentless.
The battlefield was chaos—mud mixed with blood, bodies scattered, steel clashing endlessly.
And Raphael—
Was on the ground.
Barely breathing.
—
Kael had passed him once.
Without stopping.
—
"You're not worth saving," Kael had said.
His voice had been flat.
Unemotional.
Honest.
—
Raphael, barely conscious, had laughed.
A weak, broken sound.
"Then why… are you still here?"
—
That question—
Had made Kael stop.
—
Not out of compassion.
But curiosity.
—
And for reasons he didn't fully understand then—
He turned back.
—
Back to the present—
"You should have left me," Raphael said quietly.
Kael's gaze shifted slightly.
"But you didn't."
—
Raphael stepped forward.
"Do you know what I learned later?"
Kael didn't respond.
"You didn't just save me."
A pause.
"You saved her."
—
Kael's eyes narrowed slightly.
—
"She was there," Raphael continued. "Hidden among the injured. Weak. Unnoticed."
His voice lowered.
"If you hadn't stayed… she would have died before I ever found her."
—
The realization had changed everything for Raphael.
—
"You gave me my future," he said.
"And now—"
He stepped closer.
"I make sure you don't lose yours."
—
Silence filled the space between them.
—
Kael finally spoke.
"This is not about debt."
"It is," Raphael said firmly. "Because I understand what's at stake."
—
A pause.
Then—
"We investigate," Raphael continued. "Quietly. Carefully."
"The letters," Kael said.
"Forged," Raphael replied instantly. "But well done."
"The rumors."
"Planted."
—
Kael's gaze darkened.
"Which means someone close."
—
Raphael nodded slightly.
"Someone with access."
—
A name almost surfaced.
But not yet.
—
"And when we find them?" Raphael asked.
—
Kael turned toward the window again.
The faint glow of the kingdom stretching endlessly beyond.
Peaceful on the surface.
Rotten underneath.
—
His voice was quiet.
Cold.
Final.
"They will not be given the chance to explain."
—
Raphael's lips curved slightly.
"Good."
—
Because this was no longer about politics.
Or reputation.
—
This was personal.
—
And Kael—
Never lost what was his.