The Omega Knight's Secret Baby Daddy is A PRINCE?!

Chapter 203: Some Of The Truth.

"Before we begin..." Samson says slowly, his gaze moving across each of his sons one by one.

Kaelis could practically feel the weight of it.

It was measured.

And careful.

Like Samson was silently peeling through layers, none of them could fully hide beneath.

But even then—

Kaelis already knew whose father’s attention lingered on the longest.

"Aurien."

Samson’s voice softened noticeably when he called his name.

From the corner of his eye, Kaelis sees Aurien immediately look up.

"Yes, father?" Aurien asks politely.

"How are you, my son?" Samson asks warmly. "It has been a while since I’ve seen you."

Kaelis resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

Not because he was jealous.

God, not anymore at least.

If anything, Kaelis could practically feel Helios seething beside him.

This happened every single time the three of them were summoned together.

Every time.

Samson favored Aurien.

Not secretly either.

It was obvious enough that even the servants noticed it.

Their father always ended up speaking to Aurien the longest, asking about his well-being, his training, his opinions, while Kaelis and Helios simply stood there waiting.

Kaelis used to envy that attention when he was younger.

Back when he still cared about things like legitimacy and favoritism.

But his mother fixed that long ago.

Lyra never lied to him.

Not even once.

She told him the truth about herself.

About Samson.

About Kaelis’ existence.

Lyra and Samson had never been lovers.

Not truly.

They were friends.

Best friends, oddly enough.

And Samson saved her.

Kaelis still remembered the day Lyra explained it to him while brushing his hair beside the window of their estate.

Her family originally wanted to marry her off to some rich old nobleman known for being cruel to his wives.

Samson offered her another option.

A position as a concubine.

Freedom.

Protection.

And in exchange—

She gave him a child.

Kaelis.

But Lyra never wanted power.

Never wanted to become queen.

And strangely enough, Samson never forced anything more from her either.

She got her freedom.

Her stars.

Her travels.

And the son she genuinely wanted simply because she wanted him.

Not because she needed an heir.

Once Kaelis fully understood that as a child—

The bitterness disappeared.

He stopped caring about the throne.

Stopped caring about being favored.

Because,e unlike most royal children—

Kaelis never doubted he was loved by his mother for himself.

And knowing Samson treated Lyra well all these years...

Kaelis respected him for that.

Their relationship remained surprisingly amicable because of it.

But Helios?

Oh, Helios absolutely hated it.

Kaelis could still remember the looks Helios used to give him as a child whenever Samson laughed at one of Kaelis’ jokes.

Like he couldn’t understand why Kaelis, of all people, was allowed to stand comfortably beside the king without desperately fighting for affection.

And Aurien?

Helios hated Aurien even more.

Well, maybe Kaelis took the spot today.

"I’m quite alright, father," Aurien answers calmly now. "I’ve simply been busy with training and then the sudden horde."

Samson nods slowly.

"I heard you performed well alongside your knights."

Then his gaze shifts briefly toward Aamon.

"Aamon said many good things about you."

A pause follows before Samson adds—

"And of course, Helios and Kaelis as well."

Kaelis blinked slightly.

’Wow,’ Kaelis thought with faint amusement. ’That’s a first.’

Usually, Samson praised Aurien individually first before vaguely acknowledging the other two existed afterward.

"It was a brotherly effort," Kaelis answers smoothly, lifting his head slightly with a smile.

Aurien smiles too.

But beside them—

Helios remained tense.

Visibly and obviously tense.

"I’m grateful for your appreciation, father," Helios says politely, still wearing that perfectly crafted, charming smile of his. "But may I ask that we move this meeting along? I admit I am rather curious about why we were summoned so suddenly."

To anyone else, Helios sounded composed.

Respectful.

Patient, even.

But Kaelis knew him too well.

Too painfully well.

And beneath that polished voice—

There was impatience.

Sharp impatience.

The kind Helios struggled to hide whenever things stopped moving according to his plans.

’Careful, Helios,’ Kaelis thought with a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

’Your real side is starting to show.’

And judging by the way Samson’s golden eyes narrowed ever so slightly afterward—

Their father noticed it too.

But Samson said nothing about it.

If anything—

He simply smiled.

And somehow, that was always worse.

"I think all of you already have an idea why you were summoned," Samson says calmly, tilting his head slightly as the gold in his eyes seemed to gleam beneath the light pouring into the throne room.

Aurien was the first to speak.

"It’s about Fleur De Lys, right?" he asks, his expression becoming more serious now. "The mystery behind what happened to such a massive island."

Then Aurien glances briefly toward Kaelis before continuing.

"And the bandits. The ones who killed the only survivors, took their daughters, and the child under Captain Ezra’s care."

"The child’s name..."Kaelis’s brows furrow slightly. "...is Li,r." he corrects quietly.

Aurien pauses for half a second before nodding.

"Right. Lior."

Kaelis slowly shifts his attention toward Samson afterward.

And Samson looks directly back at him.

Immediately—

Kaelis felt it.

That look.

That silent understanding between them.

’Is this it?’ Kaelis thought carefully, his chest tightening slightly as he waited for some kind of indication.

It didn’t take long.

Samson slowly raises a hand.

Then points toward Kaelis before giving one small nod.

"Kaelis will be the one leading this meeting regarding that matter," Samson announces calmly.

The reaction was immediate.

Even Aamon looked surprised.

"Kaelis?"

Both Helios and Aurien spoke almost at the same time, their confusion obvious.

Kaelis slowly took a breath before standing properly.

He could feel both his brothers staring at him now.

Especially Helios.

Because, despite Kaelis ’ handling of investigations involving the missing children for quite some time now—

Samson had never openly placed him in charge of a royal discussion before.

Not like this.

Not formally.

Not in front of both of them.

Kaelis carefully walks toward the throne, his posture calm and composed despite the sudden tension curling inside his stomach.

As he reaches Samson’s side, he briefly glances toward him.

Samson was already watching him closely.

Then the king gives him another small nod.

Like he was saying—

You know what to do.

And Kaelis did know.

Because Samson had already instructed him beforehand.

What to say.

What not to say.

What truths were safe to reveal?

And which ones still needed to stay buried for now.

Kaelis was about to reveal the truth.

Well—

Most of it.

The second he fully positions himself beside the throne, he looks back toward his brothers again.

Aurien looked confused.

Helios looked wary.

’Good,’ Kaelis thought quietly. ’Stay wary.’

Kaelis slowly inhales before finally speaking.

"For the longest time," he begins steadily, his voice echoing lightly through the throne room, "one thing has plagued our kingdom over the years. Something we still do not fully understand even now."

He looks directly at them.

"The Dark Ones."

Aurien immediately blinks.

"The Dark Ones?" he repeats, visibly confused. "Brother...where exactly is this going?"

Kaelis keeps his expression neutral.

"Over the years, nobody truly knew how they started," he explains slowly. "People created their own explanations instead."

He begins counting lightly on his fingers.

"Some believed Luxaelis was cursed. Others believed Aurethys was testing us."

A faint pause follows.

"Some even believed the Dark Ones were divine punishment."

Aurien listens quietly now.

Even Helios remained silent.

Though Kaelis noticed the subtle tension beginning to form around his shoulders.

"But father and I thought differently," Kaelis says carefully.

That immediately changes the atmosphere in the room.

Aurien straightens slightly.

"How is it different exactly?" Helios’ eyes narrow.

And even Aamon’s gaze sharpens subtly from where he stands beside the throne.

Kaelis slowly clasps his hands behind his back.

"Because curses do not organize themselves."

Silence.

"Punishments do not strategically target large villages."

Another pause.

"And human beings shouldn’t be able to turn into monstrous beings just because of...negative feelings."

Now even Aurien looked unsettled.

"What are you trying to imply?" Aurien asks more quietly this time.

"Father had a suspicion from the beginning," Kaelis continued steadily, though the atmosphere in the throne room already felt much heavier than before. "The increase of crime within the kingdom, the growing unrest among our citizens to the point people would die filled with hatred, despair, resentment..."

He pauses briefly.

"...that the Dark Ones were being created for a purpose."

Aurien furrows his brows slightly at that.

"I feel like that part was obvious, no?" he asks honestly, though there wasn’t any mockery in his tone. "At least to me. I never believed it was some divine curse."

Aurien crosses his arms loosely.

"Unless the curse itself was man-made."

Kaelis nods once.

"Exactly."

Then his expression darkens slightly.

"But did you ever think the people responsible could be inside Sunspire itself?"

Silence immediately filled the throne room again.

Not ordinary silence.

Heavy silence.

The kind that made the air itself feel tense.

Aurien’s expression slowly changed at first.

Then Aamon’s.

And Helios—

Helios went completely still.

"It’s easy to assume some distant enemy is responsible," Kaelis says quietly. "There are countless citizens in Luxaelis. Countless nobles. Other kingdoms."

He slowly looks at each of them.

"But father and I eventually came to one conclusion."

Kaelis takes a breath.

"The source is connected to Sunspire."

Aurien’s face visibly hardens now.

Kaelis continues before anyone interrupts him.

"Fifteen years ago, my father tasked me with gathering information. Anything I could find."

His gaze briefly shifts toward Samson before returning forward.

"Rumors among nobles. Complaints from citizens. Strange movements. Missing people. Sudden increases in violence."

Kaelis clasps his hands behind his back again.

"And eventually, we reached a conclusion."

His voice lowers slightly.

"This is the work of a cult."

Even Aamon visibly stiffens at that.

"A cult possibly practicing dark magic. Curses. Forbidden rituals." Kaelis says carefully. "Something capable of creating the Dark Ones intentionally."

Then his eyes narrow slightly.

"But they were never a small organization."

Aurien looks genuinely disturbed now.

"Because crime itself became more frequent the longer the Dark Ones existed," Kaelis continues. "People became more desperate. More violent. More unstable."

"And every death..."

His jaw tightens faintly.

"Created more Dark Ones."

The realization settled horribly across the room.

Like pieces finally clicking together into something ugly.

"Hold on."

Helios suddenly speaks up, standing from where he knelt.

His voice was calm—

"Fifteen years ago?" he repeats slowly. "Kaelis was barely more than a teenager."

Then Helios turns toward Samson directly.

"Father, forgive me for speaking out of turn, but why would you entrust Kaelis with something like this instead of informing the rest of us?"

His eyes sharpen slightly.

"You’ve both been investigating this for that long, and somehow neither Aurien nor I knew?"

Kaelis watches him quietly.

Then—

"Because I abdicated."

The words fell heavily into the room.

Immediate silence followed.

Again.

But this time it felt different.

Sharper.

Even Aamon’s eyes widened slightly at that confession.

Aurien stood almost immediately.

"You...abdicated?" Aurien asks in disbelief. "Since when?"

Kaelis exhales softly through his nose.

And for the first time since this meeting began—

His expression actually looked tired.

Not playful.

Not teasing.

Just tired.

"Since my mother died."