Chapter 159: On Schedule

Chapter 159: Chapter 159: On Schedule

Nothing happened faster.

Not by a single minute.

Nero discovered that almost immediately after leaving Sebastian’s dressing room. Orin met him at the end of the corridor with a tablet in one hand and informed him that the processional assembly would begin in twenty-seven minutes.

Nero looked at the time displayed on the screen, looked toward the corridor he had just left, and continued walking.

Orin followed.

The private ceremonial wing had become a controlled current of staff and security. White flowers and dark greenery climbed the carved stone arches, silver lanterns had been suspended between the columns, and deep-purple banners carrying Nero’s insignia fell from the upper galleries. Palace attendants crossed between rooms with sealed garment cases, final seating lists, and trays destined for the receiving halls, each person moving with the kind of efficiency Nero expected from his household.

Everything was functioning exactly as it should.

That was the problem.

There was nothing for him to fix.

His mantle shifted heavily over one shoulder as he walked, the dense silver embroidery catching the morning light with every step. The deep-purple ceremonial coat beneath it sat perfectly, his hair had remained exactly as the stylist had arranged it, and even the polished black shoes with their familiar purple soles had survived Sebastian’s hands on him earlier without a mark.

"The royal household is waiting for you," Orin said, his eyes still on the schedule. "Your parents and siblings are there. Mia and Lucius have arrived with Cassian and Layle, and Andrew and Bella are with Margaret and Kate."

"For the first time in my life, I want a small family."

Orin’s mouth tightened suspiciously.

Nero knew exactly what awaited him.

Mia and Andrew were Chris’s siblings, and that was enough to be dangerous. The fact that they added spouses and children to the mix was chaos incarnate.

Cassian was only a year younger than Sebastian and had known him long enough to be interested in far more than the public version of what had happened that morning. Layle, two years younger than his brother and still older than Nero, would be no better once he realized there had been an elaborate clothing conspiracy taking place under Nero’s nose.

Margaret and Kate, Andrew and Bella’s twins, were only a year younger than Cassian and had inherited enough curiosity from both parents to make the entire situation worse.

Nero entered the family receiving room prepared for an interrogation.

The room had once been intended for smaller diplomatic gatherings, though today nearly every chair had been pulled into use. Morning light filled the high windows, catching on gold detailing in the carved ceiling and the polished silver trays laid across a side table. Formalwear had transformed the usually familiar collection of relatives into something considerably more ceremonial.

Dax stood near the fireplace in black and gold, already looking entertained.

Chris wore ivory and bronze, his collar visible above the elegant neckline of his formal clothing. Nayra had chosen charcoal and violet, while Jax looked remarkably respectable in black with purple embroidery despite clearly having fought someone over his collar.

Mia saw Nero first.

Her gaze swept over him with immediate interest.

"Well?"

Nero stopped several steps inside the room.

Andrew turned from the windows.

Bella smiled.

Cassian, standing beside Lucius, looked openly amused already, while Layle had the expression of someone who had correctly guessed there was a story and intended to hear it.

Nero adjusted one cuff.

"Good morning."

Mia narrowed her eyes. "You saw Sebastian."

"He did," Chris supplied.

Nero glanced toward him.

Chris looked innocent.

Margaret folded her arms. "And?"

"He is dressed."

Kate laughed.

"That answer means something happened."

"Nothing happened."

Dax’s smile widened.

Nero corrected himself internally.

Nothing they needed details about had happened.

Cassian tilted his head, studying Nero’s expression rather than the clothes.

"You knew the green suit wasn’t real."

"I suspected."

Layle looked toward Mia.

"So half the family managed to keep this from him."

"Apparently."

"That may be the greater achievement."

Nero gave him a flat look.

Layle smiled.

Margaret’s attention moved to the mantle.

"At least you committed completely."

Nero glanced down at the dense silver embroidery.

"It is ceremonial."

Kate looked at the purple soles visible beneath the hem of his trousers.

"And those?"

"Normal."

"For you," Andrew said.

Nero ignored him.

Mia had not abandoned the original subject.

"Sebastian’s clothes?"

Nero looked at her.

She waited.

Several people nearby became suspiciously quiet.

"He is wearing Sahan ceremonial dress."

That changed the room.

Mia’s face softened immediately.

Cassian glanced toward Lucius, while Margaret and Kate exchanged a look that told Nero they had known at least part of the secret.

Nero noticed.

"You all knew."

Nobody answered quickly enough.

Dax did not bother pretending.

"It was an excellent secret."

"You participated."

"I respected Sebastian’s wishes."

Nero stared at his father.

Dax looked entirely pleased with himself.

Nero could not even summon proper irritation. The image of Sebastian standing in white, purple, and silver was still too fresh, and every time he remembered the deep-purple sash and the embroidery of his household worked into the robe, something warm tightened beneath his ribs.

Cassian noticed the silence.

His expression became more thoughtful.

"He chose Sahan dress himself?"

Nero looked at him.

"Yes."

That single answer changed the teasing slightly.

Cassian nodded once, understanding the weight of it without needing an explanation.

Layle’s smile became quieter.

Mia looked pleased enough that Nero suspected she had been waiting for this moment for weeks.

Chris rescued him before anyone became sentimental.

"We need everyone in position."

The schedule continued with merciless precision.

Orin returned at exactly the correct minute. Hale appeared shortly afterward, gave Nero a concise security update, and confirmed that nothing had changed since the last report. Sebastian remained medically stable. Duncan had his medication. Roberta was already positioned near the ceremonial hall.

Nero absorbed every detail without asking for repetition.

The family was sorted into its processional order.

Jax’s collar was corrected by Chris after somehow becoming crooked again.

Nayra exchanged a few quiet words with Kate about where the Palatine branch of the family would sit afterward.

Cassian and Layle fell naturally into conversation with Andrew and Lucius while the attendants checked placements.

Through all of it, Nero remained composed.

His impatience never reached his face.

He had negotiated ceasefires while armed men threatened one another across a table. He had commanded operations with incomplete information and represented Saha before leaders waiting for him to lose control.

Twenty-seven minutes could not defeat him.

They could, however, become extremely unpleasant.

By the time the first ceremonial bells sounded through the palace, Nero had become acutely aware of every passing second.

The family conversation faded naturally.

Staff opened the tall double doors leading into the processional gallery.

Beyond lay a long corridor of pale stone and open arches overlooking the central courtyard, its balustrades covered in white flowers. Purple banners hung between the columns, moving faintly in the morning breeze, while music carried from the main ceremonial hall in slow strings and deep percussion.

Nero moved into position.

Dax and Chris stood ahead with Nayra and Jax. The extended family arranged behind them according to the ceremonial plan, everyone suddenly quieter beneath the weight of the occasion.

Orin checked the time.

Nero did not.

He knew it already.

The procession began.