CHAPTER 434: CHAPTER 434: LATE SPRING

The gardens had bloomed overnight.

At least, that’s how it looked to Lucas. Spring in the capital had always been dramatic, but this year it felt particularly indulgent, like the land itself had finally taken a breath after holding tension in its lungs all winter. Pale petals drifted across the trimmed walkways like lazy confetti, and the hedgerows were thick with green, casting soft shadows across the stone bench where Lucas sat beside Trevor.

They had to move to the capital for the gala of Lucas’s birthday and decided to stay a few more months, as everyone was happy to see Sebastian and the couple coming back to the social life.

Sebastian was asleep in his pram, one hand curled like a question mark near his cheek.

"I keep thinking about them," Lucas said suddenly, eyes tracking a bee too ambitious for its own good. "Dax and Chris."

Trevor made a low noise of acknowledgment. "Now, do you?"

Lucas rested his hands on his knees and decided to ignore Trevor’s remark. "A year and a half ago, Dax was desperate for an heir. Everyone knew it. He had names drafted, legal pathways cleared, and ten options for every scenario. But now..." He exhaled, lips twitching. "Now he looks like he couldn’t care less."

"He cares," Trevor said calmly, not even looking away from the roses. "But he changed his priorities."

Lucas glanced at him. "So he hasn’t changed his mind?"

Trevor chuckled. "God no. Dax doesn’t change his mind; he is patient for Chris to become his Queen and get used to the royal life... And the bond with a dominant omega is giving him the peace he needed."

Lucas tilted his head, letting that settle. The phrase "dominant omega" still felt like a quiet rebellion every time it left someone’s mouth, especially when applied to Chris, who had a habit of scowling at protocol until it backed down.

"I don’t think Chris even realizes how much he’s changed Dax," Lucas said after a beat. "Or how much power he holds now."

"He probably does," Trevor said. "But power’s not what Chris wants. He just wants to survive it."

Lucas smiled faintly. "He’s doing more than surviving. Even Caelan sends him messages now."

"That’s not a compliment," Trevor replied. "That’s a diplomatic cry for help."

They both laughed quietly.

The breeze lifted again, warm and soft, brushing over Lucas’s collar and catching in the curls of Sebastian’s hair. The baby stirred slightly but didn’t wake. The scent of early summer, wet stone, jasmine, and heat just beginning to rise from the ground. wrapped around them like a memory waiting to settle.

Lucas looked down, then glanced at Trevor. "Do you think they’ll have a child?"

Trevor didn’t answer immediately. He shifted slightly on the bench, fingers brushing against Lucas’s in a quiet, familiar motion.

"When Chris is ready," he said. "Dax will never push. He could command an empire into submission, but he wouldn’t ask Chris for something he wasn’t willing to give."

Lucas looked at him, amused. "That’s not very royal of him."

Trevor smiled without looking away from the trees. "No. It’s just love."

Lucas leaned back against the bench. "Still feels strange. Seeing Dax so... settled."

Trevor finally turned to meet his gaze. "More like disturbing; if he now kills someone, it is because he feels like it, not because his mind is overwhelmed."

Lucas huffed a quiet laugh. "That’s... comforting."

Trevor shrugged, deadpan. "In a way."

They sat in silence for a moment longer, the kind of silence that felt like old wine aged, complex, and impossible to fake. A bird flitted across the path, its wings catching the sunlight like glass. Somewhere behind the hedgerow, one of the gardeners sneezed and cursed softly.

Lucas shifted, the corners of his mouth lifting. "So you’re saying Chris didn’t tame him. He just... rerouted the chaos?"

Trevor finally looked at him again, mouth twitching with something that was almost fond. "Chris didn’t tame anything. He met it. And Dax, gods help us all, liked being seen."

Lucas’s eyes softened. "I think Chris needed that too."

"Of course he did." Trevor leaned back, arms draped along the edge of the bench, posture too graceful to be lazy. "The world’s been trying to make Chris into a symbol since the moment he walked into court. Dax just made sure he didn’t become a weapon."

Lucas was quiet again, thoughtful. "If they have a child and is dominant and if... Sebastian will be dominant too..."

Trevor closed his eyes, leaned back his head and groaned. "For the love of God, Lucas..."

Trevor didn’t finish the sentence. He just let the back of his head rest against the edge of the bench like it was the only thing keeping him from falling into the flower bed.

Lucas smiled innocently, the picture of composure. "I’m just saying. Imagine them in the same classroom. One breaks laws of physics for fun; the other rewrites them out of spite."

"Assuming the building is still standing by then," Trevor muttered.

"They’d get along."

"They’d declare war on bedtime," Trevor said, sitting up with a sigh. "And on any poor teacher who tried to separate them."

Lucas tilted his head in mock thought. "Maybe we could bribe the academy in advance. Or enroll them under fake names."

"Won’t help," Trevor said. "They’ll know who Sebastian is. And if Dax’s kid inherits even half of Chris’s teeth..." He trailed off, visibly reconsidering every decision that had brought them to this moment. "We’ll have to hide the knives."

Lucas’s laugh was soft and wicked. "Or give them a country to run. That might keep them busy."

Trevor gave him a look. "That’s not funny."

"It’s a little funny."

"They’d stage a coup during recess."

Lucas smiled wider. "You know Dax would be proud."

Trevor pinched the bridge of his nose. "He’d sponsor it."

They both glanced down at Sebastian, who was still sound asleep, one tiny fist curled by his cheek like a future oath.

Lucas leaned in and adjusted the edge of the blanket. "He’ll have a good life," he said, quieter now. "Whatever comes next."

Trevor nodded. "Of course he would; we would make sure of that. He can choose whatever he likes and wants."