Chapter 587

Chapter 587
Caleb woke without moving at first.
Just awareness.
A body beside him that wasn’t there.
He opened his eyes.
Elyas stood by the window, back turned, loose robe hanging carelessly from his shoulders, barely tied. The fabric shifted with the morning air, exposing just enough skin to be distracting on purpose—or maybe without even trying.
Caleb watched him for a moment.
“…What are you staring at.”
Elyas didn’t turn.
“They’re gone.”
Caleb blinked once, then let his head sink deeper into the pillow.
“Good.”
A beat.
Then, voice rough with sleep—
“Get back to bed. It’s cold.”
Elyas huffed a quiet laugh.
“I don't feel cold.”
Caleb ignored him.
“Come here.”
It wasn’t a suggestion.
Elyas glanced back over his shoulder, amused.
“You’re ordering me already?”
“I’ve been ordering you since yesterday,” Caleb replied lazily. “Get back here.”
Elyas rolled his eyes—but he moved anyway.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
He let the robe fall loose as he walked back, then shrugged it off entirely before slipping into the bed beside him.
Caleb didn’t hesitate.
He shifted closer immediately, dropping his head against Elyas’s chest like that was exactly where it belonged.
Elyas exhaled.
“You’re heavy.”
Caleb didn’t move.
“You didn’t complain a few hours ago.”
Elyas’s mouth curved.
“That’s because I was enjoying myself,” he said smoothly. “Not being crushed like a decorative pillow.”
Caleb huffed a quiet laugh against his skin.
“Liar.”
Elyas’s fingers slid lazily through Caleb’s hair, not denying it.
“Mm. Maybe.”
Silence settled for a moment.
Comfortable.
Warm.
Then Caleb spoke again, voice quieter now—but more deliberate.
“When my mother gets back…”
Elyas stilled slightly.
“We should do it.”
A pause.
“Not wait.”
Caleb lifted his head just enough to look at him.
“The wedding.”
Elyas studied him for a second.
Then relaxed again.
“…I didn’t think about it.”
“Then think now.”
Elyas let out a soft breath, eyes drifting toward the ceiling.
“…Something simple,” he said after a moment. “I don’t want a spectacle.”
Caleb nodded immediately.
“Same.”
He shifted slightly, propping himself up just enough.
“My mother. My brothers. The rulers of Noctis Dominia.”
A small pause.
“Your father.”
Elyas’s gaze flicked back to him.
“…That’s all?”
“That’s enough.”
Elyas considered it.
Then nodded slowly.
“…Yeah.”
Another pause.
Then, quieter—
“That’s enough.”
Caleb watched him for a second longer.
Then leaned in, pressing a brief kiss against his mouth.
Not rushed.
Not demanding.
Just certain.
Elyas didn’t pull away.
If anything, he leaned into it slightly, breath still warm, still lazy.
“…You’re being suspiciously soft this morning,” he murmured.
Caleb smirked faintly.
“Don’t get used to it.”
Elyas’s fingers traced lightly down his neck.
“Too late.”
Caleb grabbed his wrist.
Held it there.
Not stopping him.
Just… keeping it.
“…Stay in bed,” Caleb muttered.
Elyas huffed a quiet laugh.
“You just dragged me back here.”
“Exactly.”
A beat.
“Stay.”
Elyas didn’t argue.
For once.

Meanwhile in London—

The house felt different that morning.
Not louder.
Not quieter.
Just… aware.
Jess moved carefully down the staircase, one hand resting lightly against the rail, the other instinctively brushing over her stomach as she descended.
Behind her, Helena followed with one of the smaller cases, watching every step like Jess might suddenly decide to fall out of stubbornness alone.
“It’s a pity your father didn’t make it back in time,” Helena said, adjusting her grip on the luggage. “He should have been here for this.”
Jess didn’t stop.
“It’s okay, mom,” she replied, her tone steady, almost too steady. “If he had come earlier… I might have changed my mind.”
Helena didn’t answer that.
Because she understood exactly what that meant.
They reached the bottom of the stairs.
The house held still for a moment.
Then—
Ding dong.
Sentra was already moving.
“That will be my lord,” she said, voice calm but certain as she crossed the hall and opened the door.
And she was right.
Kairos stood there.
Composed. Impeccably dressed. Exactly as always.
Behind him, two knights stood at attention.
Further beyond, visible through the gate—
A carriage.
And a full escort.
“Greetings,” Kairos said, stepping inside without hesitation, his presence filling the space as if it had always belonged to him.
Jess didn’t move.
She just looked at him.
Then glanced at Helena.
That was Helena’s cue.
She stepped forward immediately, placing the luggage down and turning fully toward Jess, hands coming up to adjust something that didn’t need adjusting—her sleeve, her collar, anything to keep herself occupied.
“You will eat properly,” she began, voice firm but not unkind. “Not when you feel like it—when you are supposed to.”
Jess exhaled softly.
“Mom—”
“You will rest when told, not when convenient,” Helena continued, ignoring the interruption. “You are not alone anymore, whether you like it or not.”
A brief pause.
Her hands softened slightly against Jess’s arms.
“And when it is close—when you are near your time—you will call me. Not after. Before.”
Jess’s expression shifted.
Just a little.
“I will.”
Helena searched her face for a second longer, as if trying to memorize it.
Then—
A quiet step.
Lys.
“She’s not being sent to war.” Lys said gently.
Helena huffed softly.
Lys looked at Jess.
Calm. Knowing.
Jess held her gaze.
“…It was a pleasure,” Jess said after a moment, her voice quieter now, more sincere than anything she had said all morning. “And… thank you.”
A pause.
“For staying. For helping me.”
Her hand brushed lightly against her stomach.
“…I wouldn’t have kept them.”
Lys didn’t react dramatically.
She simply nodded.
“I know.”
And that was enough.
Sentra moved forward silently, collecting the luggage without being told.
Efficient.
Invisible.
Exactly as expected.
Kairos stepped closer then, inclining his head politely toward Helena and Lys.
“Thank you for your care,” he said. “She will be well provided for.”
Helena didn’t fully trust that.
But she accepted it.
“For your sake,” she replied evenly, “I expect that she will.”
Lys said nothing.
Just watched.
Kairos turned toward Jess.
For a moment—
There was something almost careful in the way he looked at her.
Then he extended his hand.
Not forceful.
Not demanding.
An offer.
Jess looked at it.
Then at him.
Then—
Walked past him.
Kairos’s hand lowered slowly.
He didn’t comment.
He simply turned and followed her.
The door opened again.
Cold air slipped in.
Movement.
Departure.
Jess stepped outside first.
The carriage stood ready.
Knights unmoving.
The world already rearranged around her decision.
She didn’t hesitate.
She climbed in.
Kairos followed just behind her, stepping in after, his presence filling the space more quietly this time.
The door closed.
Outside—
Helena stood in the doorway.
Watching.
Not calling out.
Not stopping anything.
Just… watching her daughter leave.
The carriage shifted.
Then moved.
Slowly at first—
Then forward.
And just like that—
Jess was gone.