Lucian's POV
The streets were quieter now, the sun long gone behind Rome's towering buildings. Lucian left the bakery, his heart heavy, shoulders tense. He had forced a smile all day, pretending nothing had happened, but the king's gaze burned in his mind. The crowd, the trumpets, the chill in the air — he couldn't shake it.
As he walked, he replayed every detail of the royal parade, trying to make sense of the attention. But worry gnawed at him, sharper than the hunger in his stomach. How could the king notice someone like me?
By the time he arrived home, the aroma of warm bread and herbs filled the small kitchen. His mother, Fusu, sat by the table, a candle flickering beside her. Despite her illness, her eyes sparkled when she saw him.
"Lucian! Did you see it all? The parade?" she asked, voice soft but curious.
He smiled faintly, sliding into the seat across from her. "I did. It was… something." He avoided the painful details, brushing away the thoughts that had been clawing at him all day.
Fusu reached across, touching his hand. "You've been quiet. Don't let your mind get too heavy, my boy. Tomorrow is another day."
Lucian nodded. He tried to push away the fear and dread, the memory of the king's eyes lingering on him like fire.
After dinner, he tugged his mother gently toward her bed. "Rest, Mother. I'll be nearby."
She smiled faintly, settling under the covers. Lucian slipped into his own bed immediately afterward, hoping sleep could offer him a new beginning, a temporary escape from the chaos his life was slowly becoming.
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King Aurelius' POV
The golden hallways of the palace were silent, but Aurelius' mind raced. The boy. The one with the soft brown eyes, the delicate features… he had seen him in the crowd, and now he would find him. He would not forget him.
"My King ?" Queen Mirable's voice broke through the stillness. She was elegant, serene, her dark hair pulled back, face a perfect mirror of the king's regal features, though softer. "You cannot let this obsession distract you."
"I am not distracted," Aurelius replied coldly. "I am determined."
Their daughter, Princess Selene — twin of Prince Darius — stepped forward. She was small, fiery, with the same sharp eyes as her father, a tangle of dark curls falling around her face. "Father, it is… unsettling," she said quietly, but her concern mirrored Mirable's.
Aurelius' lips curved faintly. "My little sun, you speak wisely."
Prince Darius remained near his father's side, silent for the most part, though he occasionally chipped in with a pointed observation. His dark eyes flicked to the windows, restless. Though quiet, he shared his father's interest in the boy, and perhaps more.
Lucian's POV — Later that Night
Lucian was asleep when the sudden sound of shattering wood woke him. The front door splintered under forceful hands. Panic surged through him.
"Lucian!" Marcus' voice called from the hallway. "I heard—"
A firm, cold voice interrupted. "Step back, baker."
Royal guards, clad in black and crimson, pushed Marcus aside. Lucian's stomach dropped. Confusion and fear twisted in his chest.
"Why… why are you here?" he stammered.
The king's right-hand man stepped forward, expression grim. "The king requires your presence."
Lucian's heart sank. He looked at his mother. Fusu's eyes glistened with tears. "Lucian…"
He tried to reach for her, to hold her, but the guards' grip was unyielding.
"No! Mother!"
"Do not resist," the right-hand man said. "It is the king's command."
The finality of it struck Lucian like a blade. The weight of the world fell on him as they dragged him from the house. He caught a last glimpse of Fusu's pale, fragile face, the candlelight reflecting her heartbreak.
The streets that had been comforting moments ago now seemed alien, cold, and hostile.
The night had changed everything.
And Lucian realized, as tears pricked his eyes, that he might never see his mother again.