Reuel did not ask further questions and followed Zequiel's words.
On the other hand, Ahren is still staring at him in awe.
"What was that?" He asked, perplexed with what he had just witnessed.
"What?" Replied Zequiel nonchalantly, twirling the drink in his hand. Appearing like a prince he is, indulging in luxury.
"Can you explain to me why you won't even hesitate to give them your identity simply to meet with her? You hid your identity when you came in the city, and even reprimanded me that I dragged you here." Ahren demanded with his arms folded in front of his chest.
"I'm simply mesmerized by the flower's beauty." Explained Zequiel which earned him a scoff from Ahren.
"I know you damn well Zequiel, you're not someone who is easily swayed by a person's looks. Although the flower is indeed lovely, I know you've met many more beautiful women as a prince of a Kingdom. I would have believed you if you said that the performance was beautiful."
Zequiel who was listening to him talk couldn't help but chuckle, "I suppose you've forgotten that I'm also a General, I spent almost half of my life on the battlefield, if not, at the training ground."
"And you've spent the other half on a palace."
"So do you, yet you still find the flower lovely."
"Well not enough to buy the establishment!" Ahren exclaimed.
"Fair point," Zequiel merely nodded in agreement and said, "I'm interested in the piece rather than the flower."
"The song might not have been written by her, so why do you need to speak with her?"
"It's hers, I'm certain of it. No performer would cry when singing a piece if it had nothing to do with her."
"But that still doesn't answer my question; Why do you have to speak to her?"
"She might know something or..." Zequiel trailed off as he looked at the stage where the flower just performed awhile ago. Something could be seen developing in his eyes.
"...or?" Followed by Ahren, appearing interested.
"She might be the one I'm looking for." Zequiel said in a quiet voice that Ahren almost didn't hear. As he realized what was being said, his eyes widened.
"Okay, now why didn't I know about this?" He asked, offended that Zequiel is keeping something to himself.
"It's best that you know nothing, even my brother does not know about this." Hearing that even Zealan, the King of Phassis Kingdom, does not know about it, made Ahren feel better, and he did not inquire further.
Zequiel scoffed as he saw Ahren's smug expression.
Zequiel and Ahren were closer to each other than Zequiel and his brother Zealan when they were children. Until Ahren became 15 years old, the Talon family resided in the Capital. After that, they relocated to the City of Iragin, which was then under the supervision of Ahren's grandfather.
That's why when it comes to Zequiel, Ahren is very competitive.
A knock can be heard abruptly.
"Come in," Reuel entered the room, "I've settled the meeting Your Highness. The hostess is waiting outside to escort you to the flower's place." He informed.
Ahren gawked at the man who was just sitting in front of him awhile ago.
He exclaimed, "That was unfair!" Zequiel snorted at his remark.
Zequiel was then escorted by the hostess to a room with a picture on it's right side, the picture of the flower he had seen, Lady Rose, with the same dress that she had worn awhile ago.
The hostess opened the door for him and he had a view of what was inside; it wasn't a little room, but it wasn't particularly large either. He anticipated a very feminine space, but what he finds is one that appears frigid and remote, much like the flower that is sitting on the sofa in the middle, alone and untouchable.
Lady Elivette was still wearing her dress during her performance, looking at it from up close, Zequiel couldn't help but compliment the outfit's workmanship. The painstaking attention to detail in the embroidered rose and petals on her garment was comparable to those of dresses made in the Palace.
He came to the realization that Lady Rose is indeed beautiful; the rose petals that cover each of her eyes did not hide her beauty; rather, they complemented it.
Zequiel sat on the couch, and the hostess poured him a tea that was placed on the table in front of him.
He motioned for the hostess to leave with a nod toward her.
When the door shut, there was an audible "click," and then silence filled the room.
Zequiel took his time to wander his eyes around the place, seemingly curious. He noticed a guitar and ukulele on the stage.
It was his first time entering a setting like that; usually, nobles invite performers to their places rather than the other way around. But being in a performer's place is an experience for Zequiel, he realized why people prefer to go to a performer, instead of inviting them.
The place of the performer seems like art itself, giving a different feeling to the listener.
"May I know what the Lord wants to discuss with me?" Elivette, who had been sitting still couldn't help but ask when she heard nothing for a few minutes.
Having her eyes covered made her hearing more sensitive, and hearing nothing makes her more anxious.
She feels like she's in a dark place, with no one in it.
Suddenly she heard a gravelly voice replied, "What made you create that piece?"
Although Elivette was surprised, she felt secure knowing that someone was in fact with her.
Hearing his question, Elivette does not know how to answer it. Since she came into the novel world, she had been having dreams about a woman begging on her knees and a land full of corpses, but other than that, everything was fuzzy to her, and she couldn't really make out what was going on. Even though she never heard what the woman wept about, She somehow understands the woman's feelings.
Betrayed.
Enraged.
Wrongly accused.
She can feel it too.
The hatred buried deep within the woman's heart, as if it was also buried deep within her heart.
Everything feels too real for her despite it being fuzzy.