"Kaelis," Helios says smoothly, despite the irritation already creeping under his skin. "What's wrong?"
Kaelis looked…off.
Frazzled.
Half-drunk, half-sober, his usually composed posture slightly uneven as if he had been rushing around for a while now.
His hair wasn't as neat anymore, and despite the alcohol in his system, the concern on his face was obvious enough that even Helios immediately knew something must have happened.
And the fact that Kaelis was outside the ballroom at all—
That alone was already suspicious.
Kaelis loved attention too much to willingly leave a gathering like this unless something had pulled his focus away.
"Uh…have you seen Ezra? You were looking for him, right?" Kaelis asks, sounding uncertain for once.
Helios immediately tensed.
Not outwardly.
Not enough for Kaelis to notice.
But inside—
Something tightened sharply.
"What's your concern?" Helios asks instead, his tone remaining calm despite the irritation threatening to rise higher.
