Kaelith felt a sharp pang in his heart at the mention of his wife and son - a pain he tried, and failed, to conceal behind his calm expression.
His chest tightened with guilt as her face flashed in his mind — Sana, with her gentle eyes that could silence his temper faster than any order from the emperor himself. She had always been his heart, the quiet warmth that kept his restless spirit anchored.
And yet… he had hurt her.
He still remembered the day she left, the way her eyes shimmered with unshed tears that she refused to let fall, her voice trembling as she told him not to come until she permitted it. That memory alone was enough to make his stomach twist in remorse.
It wasn't that she hated him. No, she was just angry, deeply so, and perhaps disappointed that he had chosen his work over her yet again.
That was partly why he had wanted his brother to leave quickly, before the topic of his family surfaced. But now that it had, he had no choice but to confront it.
