The return to Dornas Castle was quick.
Quicker than it should have been.
Kael noticed.
But he didn't question it.
Not yet.
The gates opened imposingly. Guards lined up. Servants moved about.
The news spread even before the carriage stopped:
—The baby is born!
The castle reacted as expected.
Preparations.
Movement.
Celebration.
But inside the carriage…
the atmosphere was different.
Kael opened the door.
His eyes went straight to Lythiel.
Then… to the child.
Silence.
Brief.
But significant.
—Is everything alright?—he asked.
Lythiel answered immediately:
—Yes.
Too fast.
Kael noticed.
But he didn't insist.
Not yet.
He looked at the baby.
For a moment… his gaze hardened.
As if analyzing.
Weighing.
But then… he relaxed.
"He's strong," he said.
Madhalene looked away.
Because she knew.
That wasn't true.
Days passed.
And the castle adjusted to the new reality.
Khalael.
Lyanna.
And now…
Khamael.
The second son.
The one who wouldn't inherit.
But who, even so…
existed.
And, among all…
only two people knew.
The truth.
One carried the weight of the secret.
The other…
was never seen again.