Chapter 117: 117-The hard questions
"You look rather lovely this evening, Nythe," Aeltharion gave a compliment upon arrival.
His words provoked a warm inside Nytherael’s that flushed his cheeks red and made them stand out like twin red cherries.
A magnificent melody spread through the room. Guests dressed to impress continued filling the banquet hall, and the space filled up quickly due to the abundant resources being offered at the party.
In terms of formality, the attendance was a perfect fit for the Zhen royal family. Even though Drakheiron was under the Lume dynasty, the royal dragon family still maintained their status, and the dragons still respected the Zhen family, more than they did the phoenix emperor of the dynasty.
"I hope my aunt didn’t harass you too badly," he whispered, planting a kiss upon Nytherael’s blushing cheeks and taking the empty seat next to him.
Nytherael shool his head. "She’s been a lovely company," he let out, as only ever said by him. Most beasts had a different opinion about spending even a minute with Madam Zhen.
"Are you sure she was nice to you?" Aeltharion asked, loud enough for his aunt seated across the table looking at silver scrolls to hear him.
"Uhm, yes."
Aninma raised her head. Their eyes met, and Aeltharion quickly looked away, burying his face in Nytherael’s hair. He took a deep inhale and glanced directly into Nytherael’s mismatched eyes, his eyes sparkling with a new light.
"Did you do something new with youth hair?"
"My hair?" Nytherael touched his hair nervously. His eyes were searching Aeltharion’s face to see whether he was displeased. "No," he denied as he hadn’t done anything new to it.
"You smell so nice, and it’s a new scent," he thought out loud.
"Really?" Nytherael gathered a handful of his hair and brought it to his nose.
Indeed, there was a new scent to it, but he hadn’t done anything. If anything, it must be the servants who helped him wash his hair when they got him ready for the party.
"It does smell nice," he took deep sniffs and found the scent to be quite pleasing. He made a note at the back of his head to ask the servants for the recipe of the bathwater they prepared so he can use it often.
"Mmh," Aeltharion agreed with him.
Madam Zhen knocked the table with the edge of the scroll in her hand. "What were you saying about my treatment?"
Aeltharion put forward a soft gaze and a pleasant smile. Glancing at his young aunt, he didn’t hide his admiration for her.
"How is it ruling Drakheiron with an icy fist?" He changed the subject, not intending to dwell on his earlier tease that he knew she didn’t understand.
Her aunt was sharp with most things, politics, business, managing the family and commanding every room she entered, but when it came to jokes, she was always the last one to get it.
"Easy since your trouble making self isn’t here to add to my burdens," Aninma replied, her tone never rising or falling, it was almost robotic. "How’s the Western Skyrift?"
"Good, good."
"I can’t believe it took a heartbreaking for you to remember you are of royal bloodline and should act so," she said flatly.
Aeltharion and Nytherael shared a glance. Immediately Nytherael lowered his head, feeling bad that his past mistake was being used to attack Aeltharion.
Aeltharion slid his arm onto Nytherael’s back and caressed the line of his backbone. Nytherael looked and instantly Aeltharion gave him a displeased shake of his head, motioning for him to keep his head high.
"Aunt, be nice."
"Why should I be?" Aninma asked indifferently. "I should grant your husband a city for breaking your heart. How else would you have lived up to your potential and built a kingdom?"
Nytherael felt relieved that behind her remarks weren’t any hostility. It was different with most close friends and family that he had encountered. Even the cold Aenyra had a few jabs to take at him and blamed him. It was nice to sit in the company of someone who found a silver lining to his mistake.
Aeltharion scratched the back of his neck. He couldn’t argue back because his aunt was right. For most of his life, his time was spent treasure hunting, discovering the world and enjoying street food.
He had simplified his life and expectations to the point that it was hard to associate him with royalty. Even his husbands had found this habit of his unbearable some times.
The pain of the heartbreak he suffered was too much and he wasn’t of the habit of being destructive like Sseraphis so he focused that energy into building a safe haven for outcasts. He poured all his effort into it that in a year and a half, western skyrift wasn’t just known but recognized everywhere.
The beasts in his kingdom had the best freedom and security he could accord them. And since Sseraphis restrained his curses and poisons from his kingdom, it was the safest place in the beastworld which caused the population to grow rapidly.
In a way, his aunt was right to thank Nytherael. Western Skyrift wouldn’t exist otherwise. At least, he never would have had the heart, time or the dedication of developing a kingdom.
"What are your plans now?"
"Huh?"
"Now thar I assume you’ve patched up your relationship. What are your plans for the future?"
Aeltharion sighed. Always with the hard questions when it came to his aunt. She wasn’t one for small talk about the food or the drinks, it was always the questions that made one stop and think hard before giving a detailed response.
Before he could reply, Aninma’s icy eyes landed Nytherael. "Now that I hear you quit your job. What do you intend to do in the future?"
Nytherael was stunned. He had quit on impulse when the emperor tried to use his former post to force his hand, it was verbal and he wasn’t sure it had been processed and yet she knew about it.
He broke into cold sweat and smiled weakly. "Uhm... I havent thought about it."
"Well, no time like the present to think about it, right?" She asked and kept his eyes on him like she was expecting to think about it in thar instant and give her an answer.
Nytherael avoided her gaze and turned to Aeltharion. To his unfortunate luck, Aeltharion was also struggling to come up with a plan for the future.
They three of them hadn’t sat down and spoken about what they intended to do or where they planned to stay which made it hard to answer Madam Zhen.
"Why don’t we give you an answer first thing in the morning," Aeltharion requested.
"All that time travelling together and causing messes every where you turn and you didn’t take a second to discuss the future?" Aninma shook her head.
The disappointment in her tone echoed at the table. Nytherael and Aeltharion exchanged glances an neither could shake the uncomfortable feeling in the pits of their stomachs.
Nytherael leaned towards Aeltharion and whispered, "After years of experiencing how good your elders are at expressing disappointment. How is it that it still stings?"
Before Aeltharion could respond, Aninma beat him to it, "I heard that son-in-law."
Nytherael zipped his lips instantly and picked up a new glass of wine from a server and sipped it, his eyes drinking in the guests to avoid meeting the cold gaze across the table.
Aeltharion sighed. "It’s a party aunt. Learn to have some fun."
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