"Your Majesty…?" Nolan said, the shock unmistakable in his voice.
Zarah's face flushed deeply as she stared down at her hands, attempting to shift off Ines's lap.
Ines didn't loosen her hold.
Her arm remained firmly wrapped around Zarah's waist, keeping her exactly where she was.
"Yes, Lord Nolan?" she replied, one brow arching slightly.
Nolan's throat felt dry, words refusing to form as his gaze moved from Ines… to Zarah… and back again.
Zarah wished the ground would split open and swallow her whole.
With a groan of frustration, she covered her face with both hands.
Why was Ines like this?
A faint chuckle sounded above her.
Zarah stiffened.
No, she had been wrong.
Ines wasn't good.
She was a mean, teasing Empress.
Nolan finally forced himself to speak, clearing his throat.
"Ah… Your Majesty… the treaty with the Kingdom of Larynx…" he began, his voice unsteady.
But his eyes never left Zarah.
His hands curled into fists at his sides.
The aura—
He could feel it so clearly. So strongly.
There was no doubt.
She was from the main branch.
Which meant…
Zarah was his lost niece.
The thought refused to settle… and yet he could not deny it.
And yet...
To see her like this… seated in the Empress's lap—
Worse, knowing she was the very flower maiden the Empress had taken to her bed,
Something cold tightened in his chest.
A flicker of anger rose within him.
Toward Ines.
His childhood companion.
A feeling he had never known before.
"I have reviewed the terms," Ines said, handing over the signed ledger. "They are acceptable. We will make use of Larynx's magical talent and send our pupils there for study. In return, they will receive our military support."
Nolan accepted it quietly, though his fingers tightened slightly around the ledger.
He looked up at her.
"Your Majesty… may I borrow Lady Zarah for a while?"
His tone was controlled, but firm.
Zarah stiffened instantly.
She lowered her hands and looked at him, confusion flashing across her face.
Why did he want to speak to her?
…Had he figured it out?
Her eyes widened.
If that were true,
Then she wouldn't need to remain a flower maiden to stay close to Ines… to protect her.
But no...
When she first learned someone from Zepher still lived, she hadn't gone to him.
Why would he believe a stranger?
And what proof did she even have?
Past-life memories of a world that existed as a webcomic?
That would only have her locked away as insane.
A small yelp escaped her as Ines's grip suddenly tightened, pulling her closer.
Ines's gaze sharpened.
"Oh?" she said lightly, her fingers tapping against Zarah's hip.
"And what, exactly, do you wish to discuss with Zarah, Lord Nolan?"
Nolan met her gaze.
He knew that look.
But he did not retreat.
How could he?
when the girl sitting in her lap might very well be the niece he had spent years searching for?
Now that she looked at him properly…
He could see it.
Emerald-green eyes, just like his brother's.
Golden hair.
And the delicate structure of Beatrice's features.
There was no longer room for doubt.
"I wish to speak with her privately, Your Majesty," he said.
Ines's eyes narrowed.
"And why is that?"
Her tone remained calm.
Her grip did not.
Nolan offered a tight-lipped smile.
"Your Majesty, the investigation regarding the incident in Lady Zarah's chambers is still ongoing. I wished to ask if she has any suspects in mind."
His tone was perfectly composed.
No one would suspect it was only half the truth.
Zarah's gaze dropped.
She wasn't sure why… but she had hoped...
hoped that Nolan had recognized her.
But how could he?
Ines's grip around her waist loosened slightly.
"Oh," she said, a hint of disappointment in her voice. "And why must you speak to her alone for that?"
A flicker of irritation rose within Nolan, but he buried it beneath a polite smile.
"Because Your Majesty is the Empress," he replied smoothly. "I believe Lady Zarah may not feel entirely free to speak her mind in your presence."
Ines turned her gaze to Zarah.
"Can you not speak freely in front of me?"
Zarah hesitated, then answered honestly.
"Being around Your Majesty… makes me nervous."
Ines clicked her tongue. "That is hardly a clear answer."
Zarah offered a small, polite smile.
"I fear losing my head if I give Your Majesty a clearer one."
Ines scoffed.
"You cheeky little brat," she muttered, reaching up to pinch Zarah's cheek.
Zarah let out a soft gasp.
…It seemed the Empress was turning into a bully.
Nolan's eyes widened slightly.
Was the Empress… really pinching someone's cheek?
Even Ines seemed to realize what she had done.
She withdrew her hand immediately, turning her face away as a faint flush crept across her ears.
"…Very well," she said after a moment. "Lord Nolan, you may speak with Zarah."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Nolan replied, a trace of amusement slipping through.
Zarah watched, slightly dazed, as the same woman who had been holding her so firmly moments ago now all but ushered her out of the study.
The doors closed softly behind them.
Zarah blinked, then let out a quiet sigh.
"So, Duke Zepher…" she said, turning toward him. "Would you prefer to speak here, or in my chambers?"
She paused slightly when she realized he was already watching her.
Nolan seemed to catch himself and blinked.
"Your chambers," he replied. "If you're comfortable with that. There are… a few theories I'd like to discuss."
Zarah raised a brow. "Theories about who trashed my room?"
"Yes," Nolan said, though something in his tone suggested otherwise.
He extended his hand.
"Shall we?"
Zarah hesitated only briefly before placing her hand in his.
"Yes."
They began walking.
Almost immediately, that familiar warmth surrounded her again, gentle, steady… almost comforting.
Zarah frowned slightly.
It always happened when he was near.
Was it… because of him?
Nolan smiled faintly as they walked.
A quiet warmth settled in his chest.
Even if she wasn't his niece — though the possibility seemed next to none, given the strength of the aura — he would still treat her with care.
There was something about her…
She reminded him of the family he had lost.
And yet...
he knew better than to mistake resemblance for reality.
Zarah was not them.
She would never be them.
She was her own person.
And he intended to respect her as such.