The Lonely God

46.

-HER-

I forget to breathe when "I look at the throne.

'We're meant for this...' Vesta's words echo the feelings inside me.

There's a separate throne for me sitting by his. He takes my hand before leading me up to the throne. I turn around to sit on it and see everyone bow as Arles sits on his. Everyone has their attention on us. All the faces are known to me.

The corner of Archander's lips curls up into a small smirk when my eyes meet his. I refrain from frowning. It's his way of pulling my leg. Haestus and Armelius are seated beside him. Both looking serious while Haestus seems consumed by his thoughts.

After some greetings, the session starts. Every minister gives important inputs to Arles while I sit quietly and see the whole process. Finally, it was Lyco Suilius's turn to give inputs related to his department. His demeanor and physic are enough to attract attention as he stands up from his seat.

"Your Highness..." Booms his gruff voice in the room as he continues, "The defense on the northern border has been increased as per your command. No commotion has been detected..." He is interrupted by the arrival of a soldier.

Arles nods as the soldier bows before he speaks, "The royal messenger is here,"

"Let him in," is Arles' order after a figure steps inside the courtroom. It's wearing a black cloak which seems to radiate darkness in the well-lit room. It's tall and lean, its moments swift and silent. I swear if I weren't listening carefully I'd have missed the faint sound of their footsteps. The figure seems to be floating in the air anyway.

The figure is wearing a black hat which covers its facial features. It takes its hat off before bowing low before Arles. I am met with a set of yellow golden eyes that have the intensity to stare past me.

"Your Highness," Speaks the owner of the eyes as I study his features. He has a pretty angular face with full lips and hard eyes, "I am Nadal, the Royal Messenger," His deep, velvety voice echoes in the silent courtroom. I lightly nod at him after some moments before he turns his attention to Arles.

I can't help but stare at him. His eyes fog as soon as they meet with Arles. They're mind linking. Shortly after, Nadal pulls out a golden scroll from under his cloak before climbing the steps to the throne. He steps before Arles' thrones and kneels down with his head bowed as he holds forward the golden scroll.

Arles takes the scroll from his hands before Nadal raises and climbs down the steps. Arles unrolls the scroll and reads it beside me as I study Nadal's moments. When he reaches the bottom of the steps, he stops before looking over his shoulder at me.

My heart leaps in my chest when his eyes swap colors. For a millisecond they turn red before turning back to their original color. Next, he walks away with the soldier as if nothing happened while I sit here transfixed. Was it my imagination?

The vibes that I got from him didn't feel right. Is there something wrong with him? I look at Arles to find him absorbed in the scroll. He didn't see Nadal. I look at the other ministers who are busy talking amongst each other. They didn't see it either.

I open my mouth to speak but I am interrupted.

"Yes, Lyco. Please continue," Arles speaks as he puts the scroll away. As Lyco continues with his inputs, I decide to talk to Arles later. After the session, Arles departed with some ministers to some place in the kingdom before bidding me goodbye.

I could feel the excitement in me rise like a high tide as I hear his voice drift away outside the corridor of his wing. I can go back to the well.