Irene’s face grew flushed as Aziel seized her and dragged her into a different room. He moved swiftly as he guided her like he was on a mission. That was when it began to startle Irene. It wasn’t just the content movements that caused such worry, but rather the fact that she didn’t know why he was acting in such a manner. Why did he seem so desperate for them to not speak in public? He even locked them in a room alone together. It perplexed her but she had soon found a conclusion to his behaviors. It had to be about his father. She swore she saw something change in him the moment she mentioned it. She was beginning to regret even mentioning it. Now thinking about it, it made her understand how nervous and frustrated he got on the topic. Earlier she had even witnessed Aziel being submissive to his father’s cold brutal eyes. She didn’t blame him for it, she even cowered herself. Could his father have done something so bad that it caused his life to be miserable at times? She decided it wasn’t best to ponder on it but rather to see what Aziel wanted. His words seemed to hit her hard. His voice strained with bitter words that were obviously pointed towards the mention of his father. Her face only grew more red as his gaze latched onto her. She gulped nervously as he continued to rant not knowing what to do or say. He was saying such kind words but they held such hostility and fear. The way he looked at her was stone cold, sending minor chills down her spine. For a second it reminded her of his father with such a hostile but hurt gaze. She could see his intention behind such sharp words but it still made her nervous. There was this way about him that she had never seen before, almost as if he never had any kindness in him. She knew there was protectiveness and worry present even though he didn’t necessarily show it. She felt entangled by secureness when he finished, or at least that was until she felt something from him. Irene sensed a buildup within him. It seemed as though the room grew suffocating for a second. She recognized this feeling, one with an odd familiarity. It wasn’t a common talent for most people to have to be able to sense when people’s powers are in distress but it was something she picked up on in her family when they would travel. Now thinking about it, she sensed the same uplift in his power when he saved her from his partner. He had been angry at the time when his power rose. Was that his power’s trigger? She expected a man at his age to be able to control it but since she was powerless she technically had no room to speak.

As his power continued to entangle the room, even though it hadn’t unleashed itself, it gave her an odd feeling. What was this feeling exactly? It was almost a tightening in her chest. She couldn’t tell what it made her feel and she concluded that it couldn’t be emotional. The tightness in her chest wasn’t of fear or disturbance. On top of that, Irene had no reason to be emotional anyway over a simple interaction with his power. It was something deeper inside. Her breathing began to hitch and struggle making her stand there frozen. She was unable to do or say anything to save her from this feeling. It caused her to heavily grimace. It wasn’t his power affecting her but rather something inside her was reacting to his power. It felt as though something sparked in her like she gained some sort of light she never had. She closed her eyes for a long moment before she cut in front of his path of pacing. It was a mere instinct to do so, in order to save both her and him from this feeling. Her eyes held such sadness but she managed to contain her composure. She wanted to stop his pacing, knowing it only worsened his feelings. “Aziel,” She said, slowly moving closer. Her hand reached out to him as if she were taming a wild creature, but it showed her warm intention to calm him down. She found her hands reaching for his hands but she instead clasped her own hands not finding it right to calm him in such a manner. She let out a small shaky sigh, pushing away the feeling of something building up. “It means a lot of what you said but I didn’t mean to upset you,” She murmured. Her voice still trembled from her moment of worry, just a few minutes before they came into this room. There was a way that she spoke that showed that she was trying to comfort him, even in her own distress. Her eyes beamed down in submission but she finally peered back up at him. She smiled hesitantly, her cheeks still carrying a hazy hue of red. This time she couldn’t help but push the smile a little bit.

“I guess it still is startling that you are so kind to me. I think I just panicked.” She was trying to refer to the moment when she panicked on whether or not she belonged. She had found herself with minor paranoia that everyone in the palace was against her. Irene couldn’t help but feel that way no matter how many times she pushed it aside. How could she not? If her life was made up of people turning against her then she had no choice but to react automatically to certain situations. Her voice was transparent as she gazed deep into his eyes. It relaxed her as she scanned over the colors of his eyes which she hadn’t fully taken in before. After a swift moment of thinking, she found her decision to be best.

“I think it is best that we put off the tour. You are stressed and tired from our trip. I must have been too caught up in what you were giving me to notice how much it took a toll on you” She whispered as her smile settled into a straight face. Yes, this had to be the right decision for both of them. She didn’t want him to refuse and push them to the brink of tiredness. She should have noticed it sooner. He had saved her life with his own tactics which were already energy-sapping enough. Other than partially sleeping in the cavern they found refuge in he hadn’t slept. He had used up all of his energy to take care of her. Not only that but now he was taking her on a tour. She felt disappointed in herself for not taking it into consideration. She knew in her heart that he must be worn out in some way whether he decided to show it or not. It was probably best for them to rest anyway since it was a long day. “We can continue it tomorrow. Is that alright with you?” Irene knew she would have to leave soon but the least she could do was stay at least one night.

(This took longer than expected but I finally finished it! ^-^)

Irene’s amber-colored orbs hazed over in dullness as a sharp knock splintered across the door. The man’s voice, muffled by the closed and locked door, was solid but it didn’t seem hostile which eased her alarming nature. It was an unfamiliar tone, so it was easy to conclude that it wasn’t his father nor a superior figure by the way Aziel had acted. Yet, she couldn’t help but find herself nervous again, especially when someone new had entered the room. She had never been fond of new people, and she had a good excuse for it. Her features drew over the man’s tall and burly figure. He was lean but broad, accompanied by astonishing gray eyes. Her fingers tensed and her face grew blank but it was obvious that she wasn’t curious of the situation splayed out before her. He looked vaguely familiar but it was clear why when Aziel announced that it was his brother. She never expected to meet one of his siblings so soon within the palace walls. To be honest she expected such high nobility to not give her a second glance. Even when Aziel encouraged her to appreciate Oliver’s presence she couldn’t help but fall quiet. Her hands gripped onto the freshly made dress that had been personalized just for her. Irene’s features grew perplexed as her mind drifted into thought about what had been presented in front of her. So much so that she flinched, startled when Aziel moved towards her, but it was mere instinct than purposeful. Each word his lips exaggerated eased her worry. Partially dazed by his words, she nodded deliberately, surprised that he pressed his hand against her cheek. His skin was warmer than hers but pulsed with the remnants of his prior outburst of power. Was such a bold action right for him to do to her in front of his brother? She didn’t know what counted as proper to a royal. She didn’t want to dig him a deeper hole of trouble by seemingly accepting his presented affection. Yet, just as soon as he presented a warm gesture of affection he dismissed it. Irene desired to seize his hand as he turned to leave, not wanting to be left alone but she knew it wasn’t right to do. Her fingers clenched in insecurity as a response but it wasn’t long until she had to force her attention elsewhere. Her attentiveness subtly turned towards Oliver who persisted with his arms crossed. For some reason, she couldn’t find herself surprised when his demeanor changed. He had the calm set just like Aziel yet she could sense such hostility--or maybe it was protectiveness. Finding his previous words considerate, she expected him to proceed by leading her out of the room. Irene’s heart pounded when he spoke her name but luckily her expression remained still. How did he know her? Have they met before? She couldn’t part her lips to speak, leaving them in awkward silence for a few minutes. Finally, in a hushed voice, she spoke.

“I do apologize but I don’t recognize you. I believe I would have remembered you if we had met before.” She bowed her head, peering at the floor in a means of respect. The expression in her eyes grew worried when she peered back up at his physique. She wasn’t one to be bold especially with royalty and it was quite obvious when she spoke in a whispered tone. Even if Aziel’s older brother, Oliver, wasn’t the heir didn’t mean she planned to disrespect him. Her hands twitched in hopes he wouldn’t catch on to her timidness. Irene was one to usually stay composed, calm, and quiet, but attempting to recognize a new environment and people was sure to set her off. After another moment of silence, she continued. “Aziel--I mean Prince Aziel, saved me when I traveled away from my hometown within the Alynthi Kingdom walls. I am considerably grateful he was there, otherwise, I wouldn’t see the light of day any longer.” Her breath hitched but she managed to catch her worded mistake. She knew she couldn’t call Aziel by his first name in front of another royal. It would come across as rude and disrespectful if she spoke his given name without his title. As long as Aziel wasn’t around she would call him by his proper formal name. She clenched her fist, her eyes scanning across her pale hand. Scratches were seen on her knuckles and fingers but the bath from earlier had scrubbed away the bruising and blemishes. It had revealed her flawless paled skin, even if she had been accompanied by blemishes, scratches, and bruises from her rough travel. She then flexed her fingers still taking in the fact that she was powerless. There was no way she could have protected herself in that situation and that was what she attempted to explain. Her hands then clasped together as she exclaimed her next words. “I promise I am not here to disturb the prince’s main duties nor burden him with my presence. I would never hurt him either,” She pleaded, but her voice remained still and peaceful. She then glimpsed up at him just to see his expression. Irene wanted to reassure him since she did have trouble with Saira before.

Under the assumption that it was best to exclude her presence and return to her provided chambers, she headed for the door. It was a bold move on her part as her fingertips caressed the doorknob. Yet, her fingers couldn’t grip on in order to turn it. She wanted to excuse herself from this uncomfortable situation but something told her to stop. Her breathing staggered as she allowed her hand to slip away from the door. Instead of keeping her head submissive, she finally forced herself to lift her chin, her eyes snapping onto his, even if she was still mentally cowering. The way she presented herself now was as if she was threatened. “How do you know who I am?” She managed to jerk out a question but her voice tottered at the very last word. Her eyes narrowed in concern, her lips growing still in earnest.

There weren’t many ways that a high noble, one who could have succeeded onto the throne but had chosen not to, could have met her. Irene had never found herself within the Zariya palace walls, at least of her recollection. That at least made it easy to conclude that it couldn’t have been here. Could he have known her lover from the war? He was well known across the lands and wasn’t afraid to speak of Irene out of pure love. Yet, that only gave Oliver the ability to hear about her, though he states that he had actually met and seen her before. But she would remember meeting a royal, even if it was a long time ago. Who wouldn’t? It was an honor to even see one from the royal family at a distance let alone be in the acknowledged presence of one. There was no way she could have met him when she had Armen since she never left the walls of her kingdom during that time until she left a few weeks after her son’s passing. It pained her to even think about him but now wasn’t the time to allow herself to mourn. The last concluded way she could have met him is if he had disguised himself, but why would a royal put himself through the struggle just to meet her? So if there were no clear ways of her meeting Oliver then how did he know her?