His Forever Stalking Gaze

 After Muir's abrupt departure, Zeya remained behind to browse through the shelves, skimming through the titles of the ancient books in order to find what she was looking for.

The covers of these books grew more and more ancient as she headed deeper into the library, somewhat giving her hope that she would eventually find what she needed in order to get into Montris.

 Just as she reached one of the few bookshelves left unsearched in the entire library, a scarlet red book unexpectantly caught her attention. 

 'This must be one of Mother's books.' Zeya thought, recognizing the neat yet erratic penmanship in one of the ancient languages that the shadows spoke in as she flipped through the pages.

 On the other side of the room was the shadow creature, Nox, who naturally stood guard near the entrance while Zeya was investigating, until it heard distant footsteps heading towards the library.

 "My Lady." Nox called out to Zeya but was left unheard since she was so preoccupied with her new discovery.

 It quickly rushed towards Zeya to warn her of the danger and just as it reached the shadows, the door opened to reveal an unsuspecting maid, here to do her usual duties.

 "My Lady, we must leave." The giant cloud of darkness whispered as it wrapped itself around Zeya to hide her from the dim lights.

 "Quickly, Nox." Zeya remained rather calm despite the current situation, flipping the book over to the very beginning to show it something. "Read this and tell me what it says."

 "... That is the late empress' name, My Lady." It whispered back after a moment's hesitation, still worried about the maid discovering them.

 "That's all I needed to know. Here, I need you to take this for now." Zeya said to Nox before violently shoving the book into what appeared to be one of Nox's mouths. "Quickly, let's get out of here."

 "... That's what I've been trying to tell you, My Lady." Nox stated with a dejectedly look, following Zeya's footstep.

 Zeya waited for the servant's her back to face towards them before quickly taking off, leaving only dust at the place they once stood at.

=================

The morning came rather quickly, and Zeya's tranquil existence in the Toyahan household quickly turned chaotic as the servants began to prepare Zeya for the evening's event.

 Despite the commotion however, she couldn't help but have her attention elsewhere whilst she sat down, getting her hair done.

 She stayed up all night trying to read the contents in the book since she was still relatively new to that particular language her mother use.

Thanks to Nox though, she was able to read a few pages; however, she found nothing that could aid her journey to Montris. 

 She still remained hopeful despite the time ticking down before Tvar would appear, but she tried her best to not let that get the best of her.

 "Your hair is ready for the ball, Honored Guest." The maid's soft voice brought Zeya's attention back to reality. 

 "I should be thanking you for your care." Zeya replied to the humble Toyahan, impressed by the maid's talent. "This is the first time that someone successfully dealt with my hair without causing me any pain."

The maids here were particularly skilled at managing her hair that was known to be challenging because of how unusually thin it was.

 But as expected, the servant handled it perfects as she was already accustomed to tending to their emperor's hair every day. 

 Zeya suspected that they must've received special orders from Muir to tend to Zeya with extreme care even though her identity still remained a mystery to the servants. 

 "It should be my pleasure, Honored Guest." The maid bowed as thanks for her compliment. "Perhaps, I can also help you get into your dress? After all, His Majesty had specifically ordered to assist you in any way possible."

 "If possible, I would like to be left alone until it is time to attend the ball. I wish to get some peace and quiet before dealing with so many people." 

 "As you wish." The maid nodded, leaving the room swiftly and without any noise. "Do let me know if you are in need of assistance." 

 Just when Zeya thought she was alone again, she heard the door click open again before a familiar voice began to speak.

 "I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Your Highness." The maid intervened politely. "Emperor Muir had specific orders to let no one into her private chambers without prior notice." 

 "... I was beginning to wonder why everything seemed so peaceful." Zeya said to herself dejectedly, getting up to head towards the door.

 "Well, at least he was able to restrain himself until the actual day of the festival." Zeya tried attempting to see the positive in such a chaotic situation. With a heavy chest, she opened the door and convinced the maid to let Varen inside her private chambers.

 "He is an acquaintance of mine." Zeya explained with an awkward smile, doing very little to reassure the worried maid. "If you still find it in you to distrust my words, you can go and ask Muir himself to confirm."

 "... Very well." The maid finally allowed him entry, not wanting to appear rude in front of the emperor.

 The maid reluctantly opened the door for Varen to walk in before she finally left them alone to talk.

 "I must say I'm quite hurt by what you did, Zeya." He confessed with a smirk once he was safely inside. "Did the thought of saying goodbye escape you when you decided to leave?"

 His eyes unconsciously wandered to her bare nape of her neck left exposed by the robe she had adorned.

 "I'm sure you would've stopped me from leaving if I did that." 

 "So, how was it? You know, living life without me by your side." Varen couldn't help but feel the need to poke fun at her after being apart for so long. "Did you have fun with Muir while you were far away from my reach?"

 "And what if I said I did?" Zeya's eyebrow arched inquisitively, pondering the intent behind Kaxarene's question. "Would you attempt to completely shut me off from Muir as well?"

 "... Have you already chosen what to wear?" He immediately diverted her question with expertise just as something else caught his attention.

Zeya curiously followed Varen's gaze to the long row of dresses arranged neatly on her bed. 

 She noticed how Varen looked at each garland with great attention before ultimately deciding that he disliked them all.

 "Why don't you take a guess for yourself?" She replied coldly, getting up to change when she realized the time.

 "How about I just choose one for you instead? Makes things easier for the both of us." He volunteered without a moment's pause, and before Zeya could utter a word, Varen was already at the bedside, lost in thought before he reached for one.

 "Hm, I don't seem to mind this one." He finally spoke after what seemed like forever to the impatient Roseabelle.

 He picked up a beautiful nightshade dress made entirely out of Toyahan silk that had embroidery adorned all across its body.

 "Well, dear?" Varen waited for Zeya's response, seemingly confident that his choice was up to Zeya's taste. "Tell me you love it."

 "I was going to pick that one from the very start anyway." She lied, not wanting to give Varen the satisfaction that he wanted.

 "... Are you going to just stand there and watch me strip naked, Your Majesty?" Zeya gave him a warning glare, who only responded with an amused chuckle. "People will certainly have fun running their mouths if they find out you enjoyed watching women change."

 "I know men who would pay a great amount just to see a sight like this, Zeya." Varen replied to her threats as he turned around gracefully. "If anything, they would decide to talk simply because they're jealous of the privilege I have to admire you."

Varen waited patiently as Zeya got dressed, and to her astonishment, he didn't try to peek even once, despite his usual inclination to act on his whims.

 "Hm, it looks better than I thought it would." He admitted once he saw the dress on Zeya, pleased with his choice.

 "It is almost time for the ball to start." Zeya realized as she looked at the time before glancing over to Varen. 

 "No matter how much I look at it, your eyes are still too noticeable." Varen shared his thoughts, continuing to look at her closely. "People will surely talk if we're not careful enough."

He drew a beautiful veil from the breast pocket of his coat, that matched the color of the dress Varen had selected for her.

 Varen gently guided her hand under the veil, the outline of her hands was softly blurred, giving an impressive illusion that seemed almost like invisibility.

 She could feel a strong flow of magic similar to Varen's coursing through it as Varen placed the veil over her face, his broad hands moving swiftly across her head to secure the fabric.

 "I had one of my mages cast a concealing spell on it just in case." His smile broadened as he noticed how the golden accents on the fabric complimented the dress beautifully. "The material might be sheer, but no one will be able to recall your face even if they tried to."

Sure, she had been absent for a considerable period, yet the fact that Muir could identify her solely by the color of her eyes was, to say the least, troubling.

Only Zeya and her father had been known to have such an intricate eye color among immortals and Zeya did not want to risk revealing herself to anyone that could spread this information.

 "You must stay by my side the entire time, do you understand?" Varen insisted firmly, aware that her plan was to scout the area for the monster. "Since the spell was crafted using my magic, its effects will weaken the further you are away from me."

 "You do know that the entire purpose as to why I'm here is to find the book that can capture Tvar, right?" Zeya looked at him like he was going mad. "What's the point of this entire situation if I am to stick by you like some pet of yours?"

 "Which is exactly why the entirety of the Circle is here." He retorted with his hands crossed across his full chest. "To do the work for you while we distract the others."

 "Your brother has already placed several traps across the entire palace to detect Tvar's presence." Varen revealed, trying his best to convince Zeya that everything was in order. "We will be notified if it decides to appear so please for once, just do as I say."

 Zeya said nothing though she was still skeptical of Varen's unusual demeanor and patience.

 "If you have nothing else to complain about my plan let us go quickly, or we'll risk running late. The last thing I want is for Muir to make a fuss and ruin my mood."