The moment Prince Maximilian stepped out of his palace, his imposing figure dominated the courtyard, his dark eyes fixed on Sebastian like a predator ready to strike.

The tension between them was suffocating, a silent battle already brewing in the royal gardens.

The palace guards nearby stiffened, sensing the rising hostility. Even the playful laughter of the children had died away, replaced by an ominous silence that hung heavy in the morning air.

Prince Maximilian’s voice was smooth yet sharp as a blade drawn from its scabbard. “Remove yourself from my sovereign territory immediately.”

Sebastian turned to face him fully, his piercing blue eyes burning with barely suppressed rage. “I am not here to wage war,” he growled, his royal bearing unwavering despite the obvious threat. “I merely wish to see my children. And Princess Evangeline.”

The mention of her name made Prince Maximilian’s jaw twitch visibly. His lips curled into a mocking smile, but his eyes held no trace of amusement.

“Your children?” Prince Maximilian scoffed with obvious disdain. “You speak of the boys you abandoned for five long years?”

Before Sebastian could formulate a response, the palace doors opened with a resounding creak, and Evangeline appeared, looking desperate like she was in search of something.

She frowned the moment her eyes fell upon Sebastian, her arms crossing defensively over her chest. “Sebastian, what are you still doing here?” Her voice held no warmth, only bone-deep exhaustion.

Sebastian’s expression softened slightly as he turned toward her. “I came to see you. To see my sons. To offer you my protection.”

Prince Maximilian let out a cold, bitter laugh. “They require no protection from you, Your Highness. They are perfectly safe within my care.”

Sebastian’s jaw clenched, his hands forming fists at his sides. “Are they truly?”

Prince Maximilian’s smirk vanished entirely. His dark eyes flashed dangerously, and his muscles coiled as if preparing to strike, but before he could lunge forward, Evangeline stepped decisively between them.

“Enough,” she commanded with regal authority. Then, turning to Prince Maximilian, she added more gently, “Please, Your Highness, return to the palace. I shall handle this matter personally.”

Prince Maximilian looked at her with obvious reluctance, his expression hardening. “Evangeline—”

“Please,” she repeated, her voice softer now, carrying a quiet plea that seemed to pierce through his anger.

Prince Maximilian’s nostrils flared with barely contained fury, but after a moment of tense silence, he exhaled sharply.

Without another word, he turned and strode back toward the palace, though his entire frame remained rigid with suppressed violence.

Sebastian faced Evangeline directly, his eyes still blazing with intensity. “You should not place your trust in that man.”

Evangeline let out a dry, humorless laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. “Those words ring hollow, coming from the man who betrayed me so thoroughly. Why the devil are you still here?”

Sebastian flinched slightly but quickly masked his reaction. He sighed deeply, rubbing a hand across his face. “I am truly sorry, Evangeline,” he said, his voice low and raw with emotion.

Evangeline crossed her arms more tightly, her emerald gaze unwavering. “Sorry changes nothing, Sebastian. Sorry does not undo the years I spent in solitude, raising our children without a father.”

Sebastian swallowed hard, his hands trembling slightly at his sides. “I understand that completely. But that does not mean I forfeit my right to be present now.”

Evangeline shook her head firmly. “No, Sebastian. You forfeited that right long ago.”

Behind them, two small voices interrupted the heated exchange.

“Mama?”

Evangeline turned sharply to see Marcus and Adrian standing several feet away, their innocent faces filled with confusion and concern.

“Marcus, Adrian, return to your chambers immediately,” Evangeline said quickly, her heart racing with panic.

Marcus hesitated, his young brow furrowing with childish curiosity. “Mama… is he truly our papa?”

The question struck Evangeline like a physical blow. Her breath caught in her throat, and she glanced at Sebastian, whose expression had become completely unreadable.

Adrian tugged at her silk skirts. “Mama?”

Evangeline drew a deep breath, then straightened with renewed resolve. “Inside. This instant.”

“Is he truly our papa, Mama?”

The small voice sliced through Sebastian like a dagger to the heart. He barely had time to brace himself for the overwhelming pain that followed. His heart shattered into countless fragments, and for the first time since arriving at Prince Maximilian’s court, he felt utterly powerless.

He had missed five precious years—five years of laughter, of first words, of watching his sons grow from infants to young boys. Five years where he should have been present, where they should have known their father’s identity without question.

Instead, they doubted it.

Instead, he was a stranger to his own flesh and blood.

Sebastian’s throat constricted painfully, but before he could speak, Marcus and Adrian hesitated, then slowly obeyed their mother’s command. They disappeared into the palace, leaving him standing alone in the courtyard.

Evangeline remained behind, her empty gaze locked onto his—eyes that had once overflowed with love and warmth he had foolishly taken for granted.

She said nothing.

She simply stared at him, unblinking, her posture tense and guarded.

Sebastian released a slow breath, attempting to steady himself. He needed to repair this damage, to mend what had been so thoroughly broken.

“When will you tell them the truth?” he asked, his voice quieter now, filled with something dangerous—not anger or desperation, but profound hurt.

Evangeline’s lips parted slightly, but no words emerged.

She hesitated.

“I do not know,” she finally admitted, her voice barely above a whisper.

Sebastian’s jaw clenched as he stepped closer, his blue eyes locking onto hers with desperate intensity.

“Return home with me, Evangeline.”

She stiffened visibly.

“Our sons deserve to know their father.”

A bitter laugh escaped Evangeline’s lips as she shook her head, her expression becoming unreadable.

“Cease this pretense, Sebastian.”

Sebastian’s brows furrowed as she stepped toward him, her eyes flashing with old pain.

“They survived perfectly well without you.”

Her words were like a slap across his face, but Sebastian did not flinch.

His fingers curled into fists at his sides. “That does not mean they should have been forced to do so.”

Evangeline’s eyes burned with something between rage and sorrow, her breathing becoming uneven. “And whose fault is that reality?”

Sebastian opened his mouth to argue, to defend himself, to say anything that might make her understand—but suddenly, Prince Maximilian appeared behind Evangeline again, like a shadow.

Without warning, he grasped her shoulders and pulled her against him, pressing his lips to hers in a possessive, claiming kiss.

Sebastian’s vision exploded with red fury.