It was nearly two hours later when Lunaria concluded the tour of the palace at the common room. By then, they were all satisfied and contemplated by the tour. They hadn't even managed to touch every part of the palace for secrecy reasons, but it was already enough. Getting to look around the palace of Aravel was a luxury that no ordinary person would have gotten, especially from the eldest princess herself.
"So, how's everyone's impression?" Lunaria asked with a proud smile. "I hope I did enough to express my pride for my home."
"It was amazing, Lunaria," Kaze responded first.
"Splendid, it makes me want to live here forever," Chris agreed.
"Marvellous. Father is going to be so jealous," Yuuji gave a thumbs up.
"I think the highlight of the tour itself was Lunaria clinging to Kaze 90% of the time," Mitsui cheekily stated with a grin. "Come on, don't tell me that wasn't the most adorable thing you all have seen all week."
"M-Mitsui…" Sera sighed, shaking her head. "You didn't have to explicitly point it out. See? Lunaria's hiding behind Kaze…"
"Isn't that ironic? Lunaria's trying to disprove Mitsui's statement by only further reinforcing it," Irene giggled along with her friend. "At this point, we should just consider the duo a couple."
"Kaze, you don't look very surprised by this," Noel pointed out, nudging him lightly. "Don't you usually try to deny it?"
"… At this point, I've just accepted whatever criticism you all are going to throw at me," Kaze sweatdropped, taking all of his friends' playful remarks headfirst. "Just don't make Lunaria upset, you can tease me all you want."
At his rather bold declaration, Lunaria only blushed even more than before, causing Mitsui and Irene to squeal in delight. The boys all shook their heads at this, although Chris continued to snicker at Kaze. Noel, the usually serious one out of the bunch, simply smiled wryly at Kaze. Sera, Rena and Shoko, the trio who were best friends with Lunaria, just went over and comforted their dragonkin friend.
Thankfully, this continuous embarrassment was cut short when Lunatea and Lucentia showed up. This brought the group in attention since they knew that the princesses showing up specifically was either to deliver a message or make an announcement. Unless stated otherwise, it was probably best to assume the former.
"Lunaria-nee, you gave them a tour of the palace?" Lunatea questioned her elder sister. "Some of the maids told us they saw you walking around."
"Please don't go anywhere without informing us. Mother specifically told you that," Lucentia sighed at Lunaria.
"Sorry. I was training with Ash earlier," Lunaria apologised to her sisters. "Until Kaze found me."
For some reason, Lunatea and Lucentia winced a little when Lunaria mentioned the name of someone the others didn't know. It was like they were uncomfortable with the idea of it.
"… Regardless, father came to us with an announcement," Lunatea ignored that fact and turned to the group. "The Emperor has decided to inform you all that we would be eligible to bring you on a tour around town tomorrow. After breakfast, please get ready at the common room with attire suitable for walking around."
"In the meantime, you all may rest," Lucentia continued the second half of the message. "You may opt to return to your room until dinner time or continue lounging around. Of course, the palace is free for you to explore. Your pamphlets have been updated to list down specific locations that some of you showed great interest in earlier, specifically the library and the trophy room."
"Also, Kaze…" Lunatea glanced at him. "Follow us. Mother wishes to meet you."
"Mother? What did mother do to you?" Lunaria looked from her sisters to Kaze, clenching his collar. "Are you okay?"
"Don't worry Lunaria, we have something to discuss," Kaze gave her a reassuring smile. "Accompany the others first."
"… Fine…"
Without other questions, Kaze left his group of friends with Lunatea, who guided him to where Laevia was. Unlike this morning, he was able to see where they were headed to. It appeared to be a different room than the one he was in earlier, based on the direction they were walking towards.
When they arrived, Kaze widened his eyes at the unfamiliar room. From design alone, he could tell that this was none other than one of the restricted areas that Lunaria did not cover earlier. It had a sort of personal touch that outsiders were not normally allowed to see. This was coupled by the fact there was a comfort feeling to it, one that reminded him of someone's home.
"Thank you Lunatea, you may leave."
From the corner of the room was Laevia's voice. With a bow, Lunatea left Kaze alone with the Empress.
"Please don't look so tense, dear. I won't be blindfolding you again now that we are more comfortable with each other," Laevia walked out into the open, hovering a teapot in one hand and two cups in the other.
Sitting down opposite him, a small round table floated in between of them. Laevia beckoned her fingers around the equipments, allowing the teapot to pour whatever it was inside into both cups.
"Some tea? It's made with a bit of herbs freshly grown from our garden."
"T-Thank you, Laevia-sama."
Kaze accepted the cup and took a light sip. Indeed, it was very refreshing and washed away the fatigue in his body.
"How was the tour?"
"Lunaria did a great job capturing her enthusiasm for Aravel, even if we just looked around a part of the palace."
"Ah, that's good then. My daughters are very reliable, so I expect nothing less from them."
"… Laevia-sama, what exactly are we going to talk about now?"
"Jumping straight to the question, I see… Well, if I have to answer, I would say for some leisure talking."
"Leisure talking?"
"Yes. Perhaps you are not aware of this, but this is how we build trust," Laevia sipped her tea. "As of now, even without me needing to ask, I can tell you harbour some form of suspicion towards me."
"… That's one way of putting it."
"Mm, is it not that way? Enlighten me then if you don't think you are sceptical."
"..."
"Let me start then. I'm Laevia, as you know, the Empress of Aravel. I don't usually like to go by my title, but it is what it is."
"Lunaria also said you are a… Saint?"
"Was. While my skills may not have deteriorated, me being called a Saint was from a long time ago."
At the mention of her nickname, Laevia let out a sigh that expressed her frustration before leaning against the chair behind her.
"Kaze, how familiar are you with the past regarding myself and my husband?"
"Not a lot. I only know a bit about the war since it's not expressly taught."
"Alright. Well, we don't have to go too much into detail, but it is worth noting how my husband and I founded this nation. After the war ended, we got married and had Lunaria a year later. Back then, the reason I was called a Saint would relate to how I was part of the defensive team who aided with support. Specifically, I was the healer and provided magical support."
"And Reginsleif-sama was a swordsman?"
"He was the frontline offensive vanguard as well as a commander of the dragonkin military force. It might sound absurd how the commander acted as the vanguard, but it's true. He made the enemy looked like butter with a swing of his sword."
"What sort of sword did he use?"
"Ah, you haven't seen it, have you? Reginsleif rarely uses it now since he is busy with being the Emperor. I can't describe it in detail for you, unfortunately, because I am not very knowledgeable on this subject."
"It's alright, I get the idea. So what am I to inquire from this?"
"Well, what I want you to understand is our background. If I want to get you to trust me, then it is worthy of mentioning a bit about my past. Why don't you tell me a bit about yours?"
"Uhh… my story isn't anything as fascinating as Laevia-sama's unfortunately."
"It's fine, it's fine. Lunaria told me quite a bit about you already, but that doesn't mean I'm not interested in listening about it from the person himself."
Taking a sip of his tea, Kaze slowly opened up about the way he was brought up in the orphanage he came from. Exploring a little about his grandfather and some of his friends, a smile began dawning on his face as he spoke. Reliving those memories he had as a kid was surprisingly heart-warming for him, despite the fact people come and go. As people from an orphanage, it was not uncommon for his friends to leave the next day without a warning. That was one of the more painful parts of belonging to a family made up of different people.
While Kaze retold his experience, Laevia listened silently with a gentle smile on her face. It was almost as if she was a mother listening to her child talking enthusiastically about the events that happened in school. Her charm unconsciously affected Kaze, whose uneasiness quickly dissipated as he opened up about himself to her.
"Were you close with anyone?"
"A few. There was this guy who I played with for a few weeks before he left. I think he got adopted," Kaze thought about it. "And then there was another foxkin whom I treated as my younger sister for a few years before she left too. There was also another girl who…"
After exploring his background, the subject gradually shifted to Lunaria herself. They covered a few things about themselves that helped to crack the ice, allowing the subject to change to something they both could relate. For Laevia, this was a chance to examine the person Kaze was towards her daughter, and how he felt for her.
As a mother, it was plain obvious that Lunaria had fallen in love with Kaze. It surprised Laevia that the person her daughter, someone not easily pleased, had fallen for a human male of all people. Especially considering her past, Laevia wasn't sure how much of it had been revealed to Kaze by Lunaria herself. It was also the reason they allowed Lunaria to leave to Tristania, as well as the reason for the controversy by the public. This was what piqued Laevia's interest the most since she had never thought in just a few months, which in terms of dragonkin years were like weeks, that her daughter would have completely changed her perspective about humans to the point of falling in love with someone.
Laevia wasn't biased by any means. She was definitely upset those members of another race were the cause of her daughter's agony and depression 50 years ago, but it wasn't an excuse to become racist to the entire species as a whole. As the Empress, Laevia had seen and learnt a lot, knowing that hatred wasn't one of them. It was also why Laevia agreed with the plan for Lunaria to invite her friends over. She both trusted them and Lunaria, for she knew Lunaria would not have befriended people detrimental to her.
Yet, it was Kaze among the rest that Laevia was most intrigued with. Not only because he was the most normal among the rest, but also because this was the first man that her daughter fell for.
"How much do you know about Lunaria?" Laevia posed this question once they finished another small subtopic of theirs.
"Lunaria?" Kaze thought about it silently for a bit, leaving the room in a state of silence. "… Not much, honestly, other than a bit about who she is and how she was in the past."
"Oh? She told you about her past?" Laevia felt genuinely surprised by this, even though she didn't show. "Lunaria doesn't open up that easily about herself."
"Yes, even I can tell that," Kaze made a bitter smile at Laevia's remark, emptying his teacup for the second time. "She hasn't told me all of it yet, only up to the part where she got ridiculed for being a genius."
"That much is…" Laevia looked away, her heart aching at the memory of what her daughter went through. "I'm sorry you had to hear that from her."
"Don't be. If she was brave enough to tell me about it, that means she is starting to accept herself," Kaze shook his head. "Besides, I would have wanted to hear this from Lunaria, more so than anyone. There is no meaning to it if Lunaria herself did not tell me."
"Do my other daughters know about this?"
"I don't believe so? Even if she did, I wouldn't have known."
"… Kaze, have you ever wondered why my daughter received the short end of the stick when it came to human indecencies?" Laevia asked softly. "I don't mean to make the question sound wrong, but it is the truth."
Kaze widened his eyes at this. From what he remembered, Lunaria had never stated before that it was humans who mistreated her. He only knew that she said she was isolated by dragonkins her age and left to herself. If what Laevia said was true, then it matched the facts that it could be a factor that caused the civil war between humans and dragonkins that led to the banishment of humans from entering Aravel. Perhaps this was a minor part Lunaria excluded when she told him about her past to avoid him feeling responsible.
"… I have thought about it countless times before, believe me," Kaze swallowed his surprise and answered in a hesitant tone. "Laevia-sama, would you care to enlighten me?"
Another long silence remained between the two. With Laevia staring at him while drumming her fingers in a slow rhythm on her lap, it was hard to determine how she was feeling right now. The talk started out slow, with it quickly escalating beyond what Kaze had expected. Now, the inverse had taken place. At the start, Laevia was the one asking for him to enlighten her, yet now he was in the position of wanting to be enlightened.
To that, Laevia simply sighed and stood up.
"I'm sorry Kaze, we will have to leave this to another time," Laevia stated with an apologetic smile. "I don't believe that you are ready yet."
At the same time, the door to the room opened and in came Lunaria. With the corners of her mouth curving downwards, it was clear that she had been snooping around their conversation and was not happy to learn about the last thing they were discussing. While it wasn't clear whether or not she was upset because they discussed it without her or because they discussed it without asking her before, Lunaria still showed clear dissatisfaction on her solemn face.
"L-Lunaria?" Kaze took a jump backwards at her sudden appearance. Clearly, he did not expect her to show up like that.
"What were you doing to Kaze, mother?" Lunaria walked right in front of Laevia and muttered softly. "Were you interrogating him about me?"
"Lunaria dear, you know we promised you already," Laevia calmly stated, knowing that she was in the right. "I assure you that I only had a nice chat with Kaze."
Without a word, their staring lasted a few seconds longer before Lunaria whipped her head around. She tugged Kaze out of the room with her, leaving her mother by herself. The tension between the two were obviously bad due to Lunaria finding out about Laevia's possible intervention in her relationship with Kaze.
After walking for quite a distance away from where they were, Lunaria stopped as soon as they were isolated and alone. She confirmed this again with her magic senses before looking at Kaze. He could see tears gathering at the corner of her eyes despite her crossed look, causing a pang in his heart. It was the look of someone seriously hurt from their trust being betrayed.
"Kaze… I will only ask this once before I force it upon myself to look into your memories," Lunaria told him. "Believe me when I say I have the capability to do so, so answer me honestly: What did my mother tell you about me?"
"S-She said nothing much," Kaze admitted quickly, not wanting her to rip him apart. "We discussed about me, and then about your parents, and then moving on to you. Yes, we talked about you, but not to the extent of your past. We discussed what we liked and expected from you… that was about it."
"And?"
"And… and… Laevia asked if I was interested to know more about your past…"
"..."
"… but I was rejected. I did not give her a definitive answer, however, she still rejected me anyway. Laevia-sama meant well; she knew that it was only appropriate for you to tell me what you want to tell me."
A staring competition commenced between the two. With Lunaria's blood red irises staring right into his, Kaze could feel his heart by his throat. His life literally flashed before his eyes, not because he was scared of what Lunaria would do to him, but rather of what Lunaria thought of him.
At the same time, he was unable to gauge what was on Lunaria's mind right now.
To describe Lunaria was like describing an object in the darkness without him being able to touch or see it. Right now, all he knew about Lunaria were what he had experienced with his time with her. When faced with the recent events along with Laevia's words, it made Kaze question his understanding of Lunaria again. It dug deeper into his curiosity, wanting to fully acknowledge and accept the burden of the past that had caused Lunaria so much pain again and again.
She was kind, she was helpful, she was caring, she was optimistic, she was brave, she was powerful, she was strong, she was opinionated, she was clear-headed…
What else could Kaze think about that would enable him to understand her weak self, that she rarely ever showed him willingly?
"… Dinner's going to be served in an hour. Try not to be late. You may use the bathroom as you see fit."
After saying so, Lunaria turned on her heels and walked away from Kaze. She did not even stop to give him a second glance as she left, leaving Kaze alone in the hallway.