"Make yourself at home." Zeya insisted as she let Kaari into her home. "This place is definitely not as luxurious as the palace, but it has everything you should need to get by."
"O-Of course." Kaari thanked the empress before she hesitantly took a step inside, the door closing behind her promptly after. "Thank you for having me, Your Majesty."
Naturally, Kaari's eyes wandered curiously through the cozy cottage, and she couldn't help but find it hard to imagine Zeya residing in such a humble home when it was incomparable to the lavish palace the royal Roseabelle lived in before she mysteriously disappeared.
Nonetheless, Kaari greatly appreciated the warmth that spread throughout her whole body as she walked in, finally easing her nerves after the long and eventful day she had been through.
Kaari sat close to the fireplace as she watched Zeya move around the room comfortably, who paid no attention to the human until she finally took a seat across from her.
'She hasn't aged one bit.' Kaari thought, quietly in awe with an immortal's ability to withstand time's cruelty.
As the seconds passed, an uncomfortable silence was clearly felt in the air between them, but to Kaari, that was to be expected.
After all, she was still a mere human in the mighty Roseabelles' eyes, and to them, she was nothing more than prey and only a fool as grand as herself could ever hope it was something profound.
But before Kaari could gather the courage to spark up a conversation, Zeya suddenly decided to do it for her, taking the princess by surprise.
"Well, go on. I'm sure your mind is brimming with questions. The curiosity is all over your face." She spoke calmly with her arms folded across her chest. "I too, have questions of my own, but I'll be gracious and give you the first turn."
"... H-Have you been well?" She asked cautiously after a moment of brief silence.
"... I gave you the liberty to ask me whatever you wished," Zeya queried with a judgmental expression, making Kaari's cheek burn with embarrassment. "... And that was what you were curious about?"
"I-It is a foolish question, isn't it?" Kaari stammered as she tried to laugh off the embarrassment blooming in her chest.
"I-It's just that Varen has been ruthless with his searches, almost l-like a crazed man." Kaari stammered nervously as she hurried to explain herself. "A-and I just wanted to know how you've been, Your Majesty. I can only imagine what it must've been like living on the run for almost a decade"
Once again, silence filled the room but as Zeya stole a glance at the unmoving Roseabelle, she could've sworn she saw Zeya's expression soften just the tiniest bit.
"... It would be a lie if I said I was perfectly fine. That bastard made it impossible to stay in one place any longer than a few days, but it hasn't been horrible." Zeya finally answered before she let out a tired sigh. "I've lived long enough to say that I've been in situations far worse than having a crazed ex-lover chasing me down."
Kaari couldn't help but chuckle at Zeya's deadpan delivery of the last line, and for once, the air around them felt a bit lighter than before.
"How long have you been in hiding?"
"Not too long." Zeya gave a vague reply, though Kaari chose not to address it. "But long enough for the Kaxarenes to notice my presence."
"Then, since you've returned... is Tvar finally gone?"
"Hunting it down took longer than I had liked, but yes." She replied honestly for once, leaning into the chair as she spoke. "It should no longer be something to be concerned about anymore."
"Then that should be the end of all the madness, isn't it?" Kaari went on, her eyes wide with hope and relief, but Zeya's cold gaze quickly made her second guess her assumptions. "Unless... you're here now to seek revenge?"
"I'm finally starting to like the questions you ask, princess." Zeya said with a small smile though it didn't quite reach her golden eyes. "But I'm afraid I can't tell you everything just yet."
Zeya swiftly turned the conversation around before the princess could ask her what she had meant.
"Because now, it's your turn to be questioned."
Despite having done nothing wrong, Kaari couldn't help but visibly tense up under the Roseabelle's intimidating gaze.
"Now, could you care to explain what kind of predicament you've placed yourself in the forest tonight? I never took you as someone capable of causing trouble, but I can only imagine what you must've done for your punishment to be this cruel."
Kaari opened her mouth to speak but struggled to find the right words that could convey what had occurred to her earlier that night.
"I..."
Before Kaari could get any words out, tears began to stream down her cheeks against her best wishes, and no matter how hard she tried to stop herself, it just kept flowing until she couldn't control herself anymore.
"He... " Kaari struggled to finish her words as Zeya patiently waited for her to find her bearings. "I believe Lex has taken a strong disdain towards me now, and I have no idea why."
The night grew longer in the forest as Zeya quietly listened to Kaari try to explain the situation to the best of her abilities, and by the end of it, Zeya couldn't help but feel somewhat overwhelmed by what she had learned from the human.
"And without another word, I was brought into the woods to be killed." Kaari finally managed to finish her story through her sniffles, her nose a bright red from all the excessive rubbing. "It was a miracle that I'm even alive to tell the tale, and I can't thank you enough for it, Your Majesty."
'There's clearly something going on between the two.' She thought quietly as she noticed the heaviness in the way Kaari's eyes settled on the floor, and she knew that expression better than anyone could. 'But why is she not telling me anything about it?'
"Your claim isn't as convincing as I had hoped, princess Kaari." Zeya reasoned truthfully, though it was not accusatory. "Lex is not someone that lets other people handle his personal business. If he truly despised you as you claimed, he would've dealt with you personally."
"That's the thing." Kaari explained, prompting Zeya to raise her eyebrows. "I... I don't know what made him... so volatile towards me."
"Well, clearly there has been some misunderstanding then." Zeya suggested, hoping that it would help cheer the human up. "And if I were you, princess, I wouldn't be so concerned with that for now."
Despite Zeya's best attempt to reassure Kaari, it was fairly clear that the human was not convinced by the Kaxarene's words.
"Lex... is not one to trust those around him easily, and the ones he does trust are simply the shadows that loom over him constantly, almost like an extension of himself." Kaari continued her case awkwardly after the long silence that followed her previous sentence. "So, if he truly had a vendetta against you as you claimed, I doubt he would've ordered the Valors to do the job for him when he is fully capable of doing it himself."
"S-so... what Scarlett had said about Lex may not be true?" Kaari questioned, her voice still laced with uncertainty.
"... Scarlett is an unreliable narrator. And just like a proper Roseabelle, she enjoys stirring up trouble just for the fun of it. If I were you, I wouldn't be going too ahead of myself until I hear Lex say the exact same thing, princess."
"... I hope you're right. All I want is for this to just be a huge misunderstanding between us."
"I'm sure it's rather late for humans at this time, no?" Zeya asked as she looked out into the window facing the dark forest. "Why don't you stay here until the morning when the creatures are all asleep? That is, if you wish, of course."
"That would be wonderful." Kaari admitted, relieved about the fact that she has a safe place to stay for the night in one of the most dangerous places in the world. "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"No need." Zeya simply waved off the human's overwhelming gratitude as she made her way towards one of the doors at the far corner of the living room. "We will figure out a solution in the morning when you're more... level-headed. Good night."