He set it down carefully on the table between them, fingers uncurling one by one. "That's an interesting question for an Emperor to ask," he said at last, his voice even but quieter than before. "Why do you think there's an answer?"
"Did you ever hear about the former Emperor?" Caelan asked, turning the heavy gold signet ring on his finger as though it were a worry stone. "I'm not talking about history, but his personal life."
"No." Lucas's mouth curved in something too thin to be a smile. "Misty made teachers drill me on manners and docility, not how to be useful." He let the jab settle before adding, "But I've read the history in the last year."
Caelan's gaze held his. "You look like a copy of him," he said quietly. "And… he was a dominant omega. He saw, or lived, five lives before he could settle."
