Chapter 26: An Unwanted Surprise

Karina immediately pushed past Leonidas, her bruised ankle forgotten, and sprinted toward the source of the noise. She rounded the final corner, bursting through a set of double doors that led into a sprawling, sunlit indoor courtyard.

And there he was.

Valen.

He wasn’t crying. He wasn’t hurt. He was running.

"You can’t catch me!" Valen yelled, a breathless laugh tearing from his throat as he darted around a massive marble fountain.

"I’m gonna catch you! I’m the fastest!" a high-pitched boy’s voice shrieked back.

Karina’s knees nearly gave out in relief. She let out a massive, shaky exhale, the adrenaline crashing out of her system so fast it left her dizzy. She immediately rushed forward, dropping to her knees on the sun-warmed stone tiles just as Valen rounded the fountain and nearly collided with her.

"Oh, Valen!" Karina gasped, throwing her arms around his small, solid frame and pulling him into a hug. She buried her face in his dark hair, her heart still pounding against her ribs. "You had me worried sick! Do you have any idea how scared I was? You can’t just run off like that!"

Valen stiffened for a second, clearly unused to this level of aggressive maternal affection. But he didn’t pull away. Instead, his tiny hands awkwardly patted her shoulder. "But I wasn’t lost. I just wanted to play."

"I don’t care if you were on a vacation to the Sarabia desert," Karina scolded softly, pulling back just enough to cup his face in her hands, checking him over for any scratches. "You never, ever leave without telling me. Promise me."

Valen’s purple eyes softened. He gave a tiny, reluctant nod. "I promise."

"Good boy," Karina breathed, pressing a quick kiss to his forehead.

"Who are you?" a small, suspicious voice piped up.

Karina blinked, her maternal haze clearing as she finally looked past Valen’s shoulder.

Standing near the edge of the fountain were two children. A boy and a girl, who looked to be about four or five years old. They were identical twins, with chin-length raven hair and large, twitching black panther ears poking through their locks. They were dressed in fine, dark velvet tunics, but their faces were smudged with dirt from their game of tag.

The boy was glaring at Karina with his hands on his hips, while the girl peeked out from behind his shoulder, her thumb hovering near her mouth.

"I’m Empress Karina," she said gently, offering them a warm smile. "And this is my son, Prince Valen. Who are you two?"

The boy puffed out his chest, trying to look brave. "I’m Silas. And this is my sister, Nia. We live here."

"It’s nice to meet you, Silas and Nia," Karina said, her mind already racing. Live here? Leonidas never mentioned any other children. Are they servants’ kids? No, those tunics are embroidered with silver thread.

Before Karina could ask another question, heavy footsteps echoed behind her. She didn’t need to turn around to know who it was.

Leonidas came to a halt beside her. His eyes swept over Valen first, scanning him for injuries, relief flickering across his stoic features when he confirmed his son was unharmed.

"Valen," Leonidas said. "You’re safe."

Valen didn’t look at him. He didn’t acknowledge him at all. Instead, the six-year-old simply turned his face away, pressing his cheek against Karina’s shoulder as if his father didn’t exist.

Leonidas’s jaw tightened, a flicker of pain crossing his features before he ruthlessly suppressed it.

"Hello, King Leonidas!" Nia suddenly chirped, waving her small hand enthusiastically. "We were playing tag!"

"I was winning!" Silas added, puffing out his chest.

Leonidas froze. His entire body went rigid, and for a split second, panic flashed acros his features.

"Should you even be here?" he said, his voice strained. "Come along. Both of you."

He gestured sharply toward the corridor, his jaw tight. The two cubs exchanged confused glances but obediently trotted toward the entrance, their small feet pattering against the stone tiles.

Karina watched the exchange in silence, her mind racing. The way Leonidas had spoken to them, the way he had avoided looking at them, the way he had ordered them away like they were an inconvenience.....

Something wasn’t right.

"Leonidas," Karina said slowly. She rose to her feet, releasing Valen’s hand gently. "Who are those children?"

Leonidas’s back was still turned to her.

"They... um..." He rubbed the back of his neck, a gesture so unlike his usual commanding demeanor that Karina almost laughed.

"They what, Leonidas?" she pressed, stepping closer.

Leonidas let out a long, shaky exhale. He turned to face her, and the guilt in his eyes was unmistakable.

"Let’s talk about this later," he said, his voice soft. "During breakfast. Please."

Karina stared at him for a long, agonizing moment. Her expression shifted from confusion to realization, and then to anger.

Oh.

Oh, I see.

Her stomach twisted violently as the pieces clicked together in her mind. These weren’t just any children. They were most likely bastards. The product of one of Leonidas’s countless affairs. The proof that while the old Karina had been weeping in her chambers, begging for scraps of his attention, he had been busy building a second family right under her nose.

And he brought me here, Karina thought, her blood beginning to simmer. He brought me to his kingdom, paraded me in front of his court, and didn’t even bother to mention that he has TWO MORE CHILDREN hiding in his castle.

She wanted to scream. She wanted to throw something at his stupid, handsome face. She wanted to grab Valen and march straight back to the imperial capital and never look at this infuriating, arrogant, cheating panther king ever again.

But she didn’t.

Instead, Karina took a deep, steadying breath. She forced her face into a mask of calm, even though every nerve in her body was screaming with rage. She turned back to Valen, her expression softening as she offered him a small, reassuring smile.

"Come on, sweetie," she said, her voice gentle despite the storm raging inside her. "Let’s go eat. I’m sure you’re hungry after all that running."

Valen nodded, slipping his small hand into hers without hesitation.