For a mont, King Garick thought his ears had stopped working properly.
Surely he had misheard.
But no. Even after his hearing had settled, Luca was still saying the sa thing.
Those bottles of shimring spiritual water were for him.
And not just those.
Because next, the golden boy handed him another kit filled with neatly packed bottles—only this ti, they weren’t water.
"These are pills," Luca said calmly, his voice as soft and steady as ever. "Each one has a specific use. I’ve labeled everything for you. This one helps with injuries. This recovers stamina. This one stabilizes spiritual energy..."
Garick could hear the words, but his mind struggled to keep up.
His fingers tightened slightly on the kit.
He couldn’t believe what was happening.
He barely had ti to collect himself when the cadet reached for another kit.
"This one," Luca said, holding it out, "is for Ada’s family, Your Majesty. Since we haven’t had the chance to et them yet, I thought it would be best if you held on to it for now. Would that be alright?"
That was the mont Garick finally snapped out of his daze.
He looked up and around, only to realize Kira and Ada looked just as stunned.
At least he wasn’t the only one here who felt like an alien, unable to understand why soone would give them such things.
His throat felt tight, and his chest...he wasn’t sure what his chest was even doing anymore.
And then Luca casually ntioned sothing about an honest-to-goodness revive pill.
That was the breaking point.
Garick raised a hand to stop him.
"Enough," he said, his voice gruffer than he ant.
Luca blinked at him but stayed quiet.
Garick took a slow breath.
"This is dangerous," he said, his words deliberate now. "We’ve only just t. Yet you’re giving all this. What if...what if I betray you? What if I turn on you and the humans? With this much ammunition and supplies...that would hurt you. Badly."
For the first ti, Luca hesitated. Then his small smile returned.
"I understand, Your Majesty," he said softly.
And sohow, that made the king feel even more unsettled.
Luca continued quietly.
"It’s because I’ve now understood that betrayal is always a possibility...that I do this. I don’t want to treat everyone I et with suspicion. It would be unfair to punish even the innocent just because I was afraid of what might happen. But..."
Luca’s golden eyes lifted to et his.
"I’m also aware that I’m sowhat responsible for more than just myself now. If I make bad decisions, they’ll hurt other people. So I thought...I should make decisions I won’t regret. And instead, just prepare to be accountable."
Garick didn’t speak.
The boy’s voice was calm, but there was sothing heavy and unshakable in it.
"I don’t want regrets," Luca said finally. "And maybe that’s selfish. But I’d rather help my friends, the ones who have always helped , than sit back and wonder if I should have done more. And to do that with a calr heart, I’ll just have to get stronger. So I can take responsibility when my selfishness fails."
For a long mont, the room was silent.
Garick stared at the boy before him, feeling sothing he couldn’t quite na settle into his chest.
He had nothing to say.
Because in that mont...he felt like anything he said would sound too small.
Too small for soone whose resolve was that strong. Those clear golden eyes didn’t waver. They didn’t look hesitant. It was the look of soone who was dead sure in what he was doing.
If only he knew how scared Luca had been when he first decided to do this.
While the food was sothing he could easily explain, these actual supplies—the bottles of spiritual water and the pills—were sothing that was thoroughly related to him. Sothing that could lead to a repeat of his past.
Would he end up imprisoned or dead again, just because soone learned that he’s got these?
But then he asked himself.
Would he really be able to sleep at night, knowing he could have helped and chose not to, just because he was afraid they’d turn on him?
Neither option sounded great. And while he could’ve used sothing like the thorn he used on Veeka, he couldn’t just force everyone into submission.
And not after they’ve all worked so hard to prepare for the inevitable mont that the empire would learn of what they’ve been doing.
anwhile, beside the contemplative little chipmunk was his wolfish husband, who had been watching him quietly.
Even without Luca saying anything, he could tell.
His wife was already lost in his own head, and eventually it beca too much for him to handle alone.
So his quiet voice broke through the silence.
"I would have been fine...if it was just ," he admitted.
"But because there are other people who would be involved, I keep thinking about it. My parents said they’d handle it if sothing happens. But this feels... different. Like sothing on another level entirely."
Xavier listened, his chest tightening at the words.
Honestly, all he really wanted was to keep Luca safe.
If he could, he’d hide him away forever. Sowhere, no one could reach him.
But he knew better.
That was just the selfish part of him speaking.
Because soone as bright as Luca couldn’t be hidden.
Even if he tried.
So the Imperial Prince, though it hurt, and despite knowing how worried he would be from the day this cos out, said what needed to be said.
"Just control what you can," Xavier advised softly.
Luca blinked at him, eting his gaze.
Xavier’s eyes didn’t flinch.
"If you can’t control how they’ll respond," he continued, "then control your ability and readiness to react. Be prepared for every possibility. And let us just keep getting stronger. Together."
He placed a hand over Luca’s.
"Your parents are right," he added quietly. "Your judgnt is sound. Trust it."
"And even if it’s wrong, it’s only because you treated them with the sa respect they originally deserved. And that’s on them."
Luca stared at him for a long mont, then finally nodded.
And that’s what gave him enough courage to do this.
__
The morning air outside the manor was brisk, but no one felt cold.
The entire group had gathered to see the King off.
At the front, Garick and Kira stood shoulder to shoulder, the faintest of grins tugging at the corner of the King’s mouth.
Then, in one smooth motion, he and his daughter exchanged a firm, resounding punch to each other’s chests.
The onlookers gasped in alarm.
But Luca only smiled softly and said, "It’s their custom."
That seed to surprise even the king, who gave Luca an approving nod as if to say, You really did your howork, boy.
When the farewells began, the ruler straightened and turned his gaze to the gathered group.
He thanked them sincerely, his deep voice carrying in the morning quiet.
Then he walked over to the boy who should’ve been a saint.
"I’ll make good use of what you’ve given ," he said, his eyes steady.
Luca nodded back, smiling faintly.
Then, unexpectedly, King Garick raised his hand.
A shimring spiritual barrier ford around them, cutting them off from view and sound.
He held out a small card, etched with an intricate symbol.
"Unless a ssage you receive carries this symbol hidden sowhere," he said, "do not honor it."
Luca’s golden eyes widened slightly as he took the card.
Garick’s expression softened just a little.
"Keep this secret. And when you send a ssage to , use the sa symbol. But hide it cleverly, so no one else learns of it."
Luca stared at the card for a mont, then looked up at him with quiet awe.
"That’s...really smart," he murmured.
Garick chuckled softly.
"It’s important to take precautions where you can," he said.
The barrier dissolved, and the quiet chatter of the crowd returned.
The King turned to everyone once more.
His gaze lingered on Kira, who was practically glued to his side, but he gave her hair a soft ruffle before moving to Duke Leander and Duchess Alia.
"Thank you," he said solemnly, "for taking care of Kira and Ada and for welcoming us into your ho. And more than anything, you have raised a spectacular son. Truly."
Leander smiled warmly, his ears always perking up at the ntion of praise for his son.
Garick hesitated for just a mont, then added with a faint grin, "Honestly...seeing everything he’s done, and how impressive he is...with my daughter’s marriage failing to push through, I couldn’t help but think how nice it would be if the two of them were wed together soday."
The words hung in the air like a bomb.
Everyone froze.
Even Kira blinked, stunned.
Ada’s lips parted in disbelief.
Ollie nearly dropped whatever he was holding. And even D-29’s recording buffered for a mont.
The silence was broken by Leander, who let out a hearty laugh.
"I can’t even fault you for thinking it," the Duke said warmly. "Who wouldn’t want a son-in-law as good as my precious boy? Perhaps...in forty years, we could talk about it!"
But before the laughter could settle, Luca—who was still recovering from the shock of his father saying such a thing—suddenly blurted out:
"Oh no, Papa! King Garick! That would be impossible. Even after forty years!"
The air went completely still.
Garick’s brow furrowed.
"...Why not?" he asked. Thinking that maybe he wasn’t big into the whole interspecies thing. But then—
Luca tilted his head slightly and answered without hesitation.
"Because I’m already married!"
"???"
"!!!"
The silence that followed was, sure as hell, deafening.
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