Lex was starting to grow exhausted of the immortals' undying passion for unbearable long celebrations.
Fortunately for him, the passionate commotion in the submerged palace of Toyah was slowly beginning to die down as the guests began to get tired and more inebriated as the night got deeper.
Though anticipated, he was disappointed by the lack of any action from Tvar as he had hoped to face the rogue shadow creature after their brief encounter back at the village.
'There it is again.' He drifted away from his thoughts as he subtly looked around his surroundings, hoping that Kaari would fail to notice.
For the past hour, the Kaxarene had been hearing a strange series of noises and incoherent words.
Each time he attempted to find the source, there was nothing around him that he could attribute it to.
He blamed his exhaustion at first, but when the peculiar voices only got louder and more frequent, Lex was no longer able to just shrug it off.
'Find out where that's coming from, now.'
Without a second to waste, his one demand was immediately granted as multiple shadows began to roam the palace to investigate.
Before he could grow more agitated by it, Kaari's voice calling out his name brought him back to reality just in time.
"... Did you hear that?" Kaari turned to Lex with a worried expression, clearly shaken. "I... I just hear a strange voice in my head."
'... You're starting to lose it, Lex. It wouldn't possibly make sense for her to hear it. He tried to think logically of it all.
Humans inherently possessed a very limited amount of magic flowing within them, making it harder for their kind to discern magic naturally without assistance.
In theory, it was almost impossible for Kaari to have heard the same whispers as he did since Lex was almost certain that the words contain some sort of magic in them.
It would been in a frequency impossible for humans to hear and yet... Lex couldn't help but believe in the possibility that she actually could.
'I'm probably overthinking it.' He finally concluded after a long moment of thought. 'She doesn't have to know more about the situation than she already does. It will only frighten her if I tell her the truth.'
"Perhaps it's a result from dancing too hard?" Lex suggested while he placed a stray strand of Kaari's hair behind her ear. "In fact, it would be even stranger if you weren't exhausted from all that moving around in that frail body of yours."
"... Isn't it rather rude for a man to make comments on a woman's appearance, Your Highness?" Kaari stared at him with a disdained look, clearly upset.
"Did my poor choice of words upset you, dear princess?" Lex smiled, finding her minor expressions adorable. "I am merely expressing my worries for your well-being. You look splendid to me regardless of how much you weight."
"... I see why they call Roseabelles the sirens of the land." Kaari chuckled, her cheeks flushed a rosy pink from the few glasses of wine she had together with Lex. "You should save those comments for someone more important, prince Lex."
"I speak the truth, Kaari." He stifled his smile as he observed Kaari becoming flustered when Lex addressed her by name. "Why would I say something I don't mean in the first place?"
"How about you go ahead and get some rest? We've been here long enough anyway." Lex suggested, holding out his hand for her to grab onto. "I'll be a gentleman and escort you over to your chamber, all you have to do is to lead the way."
"M-My chamber?!" Kaari stumbled on her words, her cheeks growing redder.
"... Did I say something wrong?" Lex raised his eyebrows, clearly confused by the human's reaction to his kind words.
"You... You're just going to walk me there... right?" She mumbled, avoiding eye contact with Lex. "I-I mean, I can actually get there myself. It'll only be an inconvenience for you anyway."
'Ha... she must be doing this on purpose.' Lex thought, finally realizing what she had meant. 'How can one be this... adorable?'
"I know my manners, princess. "Lex finally spoke up, hoping to dispel any misunderstandings Kaari may have gathered from his words. "I won't lay a finger on you. Unless... you want me to, of course."
He stared at Kaari with a knowing smile, feeling pleased with himself as Kaari accepted his outstretched hand all while she continued to look off into the distance, too embarrassed to look into Lex's emerald eyes.
"What has you so timid, princess?" Lex continued to tease as they began to make their way out of the ballroom. "Are you perhaps disappointed because I don't have any plans on making a move on you?"
"Lex, please..." She pled, her grip on Lex's arm tightening. "C-Can we just forget I even said that? I'm so embarrassed right now I can barely look at you."
"Suit yourself." He said, stifling a laugh. "I was merely trying to figure out your thoughts."
The walk back to Kaari's chambers was a much welcomed quiet after all the noise back at the ballroom.
Just as Lex had promised, he remained outside of her private quarters as she stepped inside nervously, quietly glancing at the much taller male's expression.
"Good night, princess." He kissed her hand as farewell, making her heart flutter yet again. "Hopefully, I get to do business with you again some other time."
'I should quit drinking.' She made a mental note, secretly hoping that Lex was unable to hear how loud her heartbeat was at that very moment. 'I can't believe I'm getting butterflies because of a Roseabelle.'
It was peculiar, but she definitely felt much more at ease with the Roseabelle after they had spent the entire evening together.
After much persuasion from the intimidating Kaxarene, Kaari had finally agreed to address him by just his name when it was only the two of them present.
Although it required a bit of alcohol to muster the courage, she eventually felt comfortable enough to attempt it, and before she knew it, the act felt natural.
It was almost as if they had become friends, although it was laughable for her to even consider such a thought, as it was impossible.
She was almost certain that Lex's sudden interest in her was because she would of good use to him in the future.
Kaari couldn't think of any other reason as to why such a powerful being had such an attraction towards someone like her.
She was merely a princess in name, a pawn for Varen to manipulate in order to maintain control over the humans while he executed his plans behind their backs.
Lex, on the other hand, was a complete contrast to who she was.
He was the ruler of the shadow realms, a nation so powerful and elusive that no one would dare to go against its words.
Why would someone so powerful want anything to do with her anyway, if not to use her to their advantage?
"Lex?" The princess called out one final time, feeling it was a waste to just watch him walk away without talking to him one last time.
"Yes, Kaari?" Lex responded as he casually leaned against the frame of the door, patiently waiting for her to talk.
Her cheeks grew warmer the longer she gazed at Lex finding his beauty just as captivating as first time she had met him.
'I see what he's trying to do and yet...' She failed to finish her own thoughts, too upset by her own speculations. 'And yet, I can't help but feel drawn to him.'
"... Are you sure that whatever I heard back at the ballroom was merely just my imagination?" Kaari asked nervously, her mind still stuck on the unusual occurrence. "I can't help but have a bad feeling about it..."
"Like I said, I'm sure it was just your imagination." Lex said with a confident smile, stroking her head gently to reassure her.
"I can guarantee you that everything is fine-" Lex's sentence was abruptly cut off by the sound of a loud crash coming from direction they had came from.
It appears as though something, or someone had decided to cause a scene in the ballroom.
'I knew something was up.' He thought, partially glad that he had decided to leave the place beforehand.
"You should head inside, princess." Lex said with a grim expression. "Meanwhile, let me go ahead and figure out what's happening."
"Whatever you do, do not, open this door until I come back for you, do you understand?" He warned firmly, his usual playful expression nowhere to be seen. "I'll have some of my men guard your room while I'm gone."
"I want to go with you." She pled, not wanting to be left all alone in the midst of the emergency. "Maybe- Maybe there is something I can help you with-"
"If you really wish to help me, then all I need you to do is to stay safe." Lex answered, taking a hold of both Kaari's hands into his own. "Having you tag along with me will only put you in harm's way."
"It's quite unfortunate, but it appears that I've taken quite a liking to you." Lex suddenly confessed with a dramatic sigh. "Therefore, you cannot die yet. Not until I figure out what to do with these feelings I hold for you."
"I told you that I'd protect you, didn't I?" He said with a reassuring smile as Kaari timidly nodded her head.
"Then, you must trust me and the shadows." He squeezed Kaari's hands firmly before letting go. "They will know how to keep you safe so listen to what they tell you. You have my word."
"A-Alright." She finally calmed down after Lex's explanation, completely missing the part where the Roseabelle had confessed his affection for her. "Be safe, Lexian."
"Don't worry. I will." He responded confidently before disappearing into thin air, and as promised, his place was taken by several of his shadow warriors, who were given the order to protect the princess even at the cost of their lives.