To Embrace The Shadows

 The meeting dragged on for hours, much to Zeya's dismay.

 The current situation in Stygia was not looking too good, according to Nerva's reports; the citizens were starting to ask questions about the late emperor after not having been seen in public for the past few months.

 They seem to be growing more and more restless by the lack of communication, it was only a matter of time before Zeya was going to be left with no choice but to come clean. Personally, Zeya still did not wish to come out from the darkness just yet, especially with that monster still at large.

 If anything, she wanted the people to welcome her without any worries, and that was the sole motivation that kept her going.

 For now, the only thing she could do was send Arius over there to calm down the masses with some more false statements, even if she felt severe guilt for doing so.

 After that, the rest of the presentation barely stuck with Zeya while Nevra went on with professional efficiency, unfazed by the lack of breaks.

 She could care less about the foreign merchants complaining about Stygia's closed borders, they only ever caused her and the nation more harm than good. Her country was already doing fine without them, and she saw no reason why that needed to change.

"Why alter something that is already functioning well independently?" She responded when Nevra asked for her thoughts. "If the people are fine without it, we should be as well. Deny all of their proposals and let this be the last time I hear from them again."

 "They told me you were asleep before rushing over." Her focus shifted from the ongoing meeting as a familiar voice whispered in her ear. "Please tell me that wasn't true."

"As if the shadows ever lied to us before." She returned calmly, closing her eyes tiredly. "You should really learn to start trusting them more."

 "I've been having a hard time falling asleep again." Zeya complained, noticing how worried Amrit appeared for her. "It appears like the relief I felt was short-lived after all."

"... That did very little to appease my concerns. He specifically told me to check on you but alas, my memory failed me once again." He revealed, letting out a small and tired sigh before he continued. "I'm never going to hear the end of it if Arius finds out."

 "You've been spending more time in the shadows these days." Lex stated suspiciously, staring at Zeya's tired and deadpan expression. "It's almost as if you're trying to hide from someone."

 "Hah, where do I even begin to tell you, my dear brother?" She chuckled tiredly, with her hand pressed against her forehead. "I've been having to sleep in a void because of how often he would barge into my chambers in search of me."

 "He?" Lex asked, his thick black eyebrows knitted in confusion. 

 "My Lady, he's on his way." Nox magically appeared on top of Zeya's shoulders, interrupting the conversation before Zeya could explain any further. "Quickly, we must go."

 "Is... everything alright, Your Majesty?" Arius asked worriedly, noticing the entire conversation. 

 "If everything was fine, I wouldn't be disappearing in the middle of meetings like this, don't you think?" She replied sarcastically, getting up from her seat. "Remember, you haven't seen me since my return from that village."

 "I'll come see you all soon enough. Leave all the paperwork from today at the royal library and I will see to it once I'm done with this little predicament."

No one understood why or when Zeya began fleeing from the emperor; they also chose not to intrude on her privacy, especially considering the history shared between the two monarchs. Even the empress herself wished to remain silent in this matter, so the only the only course of action for them were to obey her obscure wishes.

 The door of the room burst open just as Zeya disappeared into thin air, leaving the rest of the High Roses to deal with the wrath that was Varen.

 "Oh gods, please send help..." Amrit muttered, his hands covering his face in defeat. "This is worse than having to deal with those two lovebirds quarrelling."

 He had barely enough energy left to handle the chaos Zeya had caused, especially after working nearly a week without adequate sleep to manage Zeya's workload.

Rowen and Nevra sent death glares at the defeated Amrit immediately upon hearing his words, but he remained indifferent to their scornful looks.

 "Huh, what a surprise to see him here." Lex snickered, finding humor in the emperor's agitation. 

 "What do you think you're doing barging in here as you please?" Arius addressed the emperor's unannounced entrance with equal scorn.

"Where is she?" Varen's presence demanded everyone's attention, as he scanned the room with laser-like precision. The emperor appeared more intimidating than usual, as though something or someone had provoked his anger. 

 "Your guess would as good as ours, Your Majesty." Lex led the conversation, putting his pristine lying abilities to good use for once. "We haven't seen her since the night of her return."

 "You know you can't hide her from me forever." He fumed, upset that he was late yet again. "There's no use lying to me when she's the one in the wrong."

 "She is almost unreachable when she decides to go into hiding like this, you would know this better than all of us, don't you think?" Lex explained, knowing that it was only half the truth.

 She would have been difficult to locate if she had left without Nox by her side, but as long as the creature stayed near, Lex could find her regardless of her location.

 Yet, even with his advantage, locating Zeya would be akin to finding a needle in a haystack; there was a reason she had successfully managed to feigned death for centuries. 

 "Fuck..." He cursed before he stormed off yet again, much to everyone's relief. It seemed like he believed that Zeya ran off without her trusty sidekick, Nox, unintentionally saving them some more time.

 "That appears to be my cue to leave, I'm afraid." Amrit pointed at the door as he got up to leave, knowing that the meeting was over since Zeya was gone, again. "I am in dire need of some rest after dealing with this madness."

==============

 "Nox is definitely nearby... but I still can't see any signs of both of them." Lex muttered to himself as he wandered through the halls with just his senses to guide him through the confusing labyrinth that were the palace corridors.

 He knew that there was something going on between his sister and the emperor, but he was still far too unsure to pinpoint exactly what it was.

 He never placed himself in between other people's businesses as it rarely led to desirable outcomes.

 However, a part of him couldn't help but be concerned for his own kin, leading him to go through this much unnecessary trouble.

 'He only ever acts that way when it's with Zeya...'  He recalled the times he had witnessed their interactions. 'Something definitely seems odd about all this, and I need figure out exactly what it is.'

He was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he failed to notice the small figure hurtling towards him, resulting in a collision.

 "These servants are such useless creatures... Can't they even watch where they're heading in such a wide hall-" His sentence hung unfinished in the air when he recognized who had just bumped into him.

 "M-My apologies, My Lord." The human princess stammered an apology, her eyes flicking back and forth rapidly.

 "... How lovely it is to see you again, Princess." His demeanor immediately softened at the sight of the scared Kaari. "Is it not rather late for a human to be wandering this side of the palace at this hour?"

 "Well, it isn't quite late for me." She explained with a strained smile, trying her hardest to ignore Lex's intense stare. "I just had an errand to run and seemed to have lost my way in the process."

 "Perhaps I could be of any help to you." Lex offered, looking around to see if there were any servants that could help them. "Although I am rather new to this place, I do have a knack in finding people."

 "Oh, that would be so kind of you!" Kaari's eyes brightened up at the thought of finally getting some help. "However, would that be alright for you, My Lord? You seemed rather busy with your own matters."

 "Well, I was on my way to find the empress but it's not as urgent as you would think." He answered with a small smile, unknowingly finding the human's bubbliness adorable.

 "What a coincidence!" She exclaimed excitedly. "I was searching for her as well."

 "Oh? I wasn't aware that you were acquaintances with my sister." Lex smiled, pretending like he was actually interested. 

 "... The empress is your sister?!" Kaari's voice, loud with genuine surprise, echoed through the corridors.

 "I thought everyone was aware of this fact." He couldn't help but chuckle at her silliness.

 "How fascinating! I learned something new yet again... but now that you mentioned it..." She stared at Lex for a second too long before she continued speaking. "You two do look quite similar. There is this... charisma about the two of you that just demands authority."

 'What a polite way to say that I look scary.'  He thought but decided against saying it out loud. 'Were humans always this... intriguing?'

 "Come along with me then, Princess." He gently guided Kaari in front of him. "I'm sure the empress will be delighted to see you."