[: 3rd POV :]
At their sudden revelation, both Maiya and Luke froze in place.
The words they had just spoken—slave rchants—hung in the air like a curse.
Their expressions shifted from shock to panic, brows furrowed as the chilling possibility rooted itself in their thoughts.
Luke was the first to speak, though his voice was low and strained.
"I… I didn't want to even think it, but… if that's the case, Maiya…"
He clenched his fists, the leather of his gloves creaking.
"Then his childhood… it might've been—"
"Don't," Maiya cut him off sharply, though her voice trembled.
She shook her head, strands of hair clinging to her damp cheeks from the mist in the air.
"Don't say it, Luke. Don't even dare put it into words."
Luke stared at her, his own jaw tightening.
"Maiya, I don't want to believe it either. But if soone took him, if they didn't know who he was, and if that insignia wasn't recognised…"
"No… no, no, no…" Maiya's voice cracked, her breath growing uneven.
She took a step back as though physically rejecting the thought.
"Her Majesty's child… as a slave? That's… that's impossible. He's—"
"He's the Empress's son," Luke finished for her, his tone grim.
"And yet, how many noble children have vanished before?''
''You know as well as I do—there are monsters in this world that don't care about bloodlines."
Maiya pressed her hand against her chest, feeling her heart pound painfully.
"But why? Even if they didn't know, the necklace—"
Luke interrupted, voice low.
"What if they never looked closely enough to see? Or… what if it was stolen from him the mont he was taken?"
Her eyes widened at the thought, and the colour drained from her face.
She had imagined countless scenarios for his disappearance over the years, but never this one.
And now that the possibility stood before her, it was like staring into an abyss.
"If he was taken by slave rchants…
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