Entering the tent, we were greeted by the warm sight of a finely decorated table full of varied foods laid out for us.
"Ah, welcome you two. It's wonderful that you can join me." Flaur said as she looked up from her seat at us. It looked like she was speaking to Rayji and Tesera who were sitting next to her in their own seats.
"Please, take a seat." She said as she beckoned us over. Ashari and I complied.
I took a seat at the opposite end of Flaur as Ashari took a seat to my left. The table wasn't too long, so it still felt intimate enough as Flaur was a little over an arm's length away from me.
It was strange, I knew that Flaur recognized me as her sibling's savior, but Ashari was still a distant princess from a tribe that Ars Goetia hadn't been in contact with for over centuries. I feel as though there should be more precautions taken to prevent anything from going south, especially so when two powerful representatives of their respective homelands are in this proximity.
Flaur's violet eyes were illuminated under the lantern light of the tent, they flickered with what I could best describe as curious amusement as she studied me not so subtly.
"I'm glad that you're feeling better, your Majesty." Ashari was the first to speak up, she did so with a polite bow of her head as she did.
"Yes, I apologize for the abrupt end of our tea from earlier. I had let my emotions get the best of me, very unbecoming of the Queen of this country." She humbly stated this with a clear tonal shift from earlier.
"Don't apologize, it was my fault for being so blunt," I added in, bowing my head as well in my apology to her.
"Kyahaha, don't bow to me Hero, men like you need to stay proud-- even against authority," Flaur said with a curled cat-like smile.
"That's very... progressive of you, your Majesty," Ashari noted with a look of surprise.
"Progressive? I suppose so..." Flaur cocked a brow, maybe she hadn't realized it until Ashari had pointed it out.
"Big Sis, I'm hungry! Can we start eating?" Tesera groaned as she latched onto Flaur's arm.
"Yes, please go ahead. That includes you two as well." Flaur declared to Ashari and I.
"We can resume our conversation from earlier once we're done with dinner," She finished as she picked up her fork.
---
Dinner was a silent ordeal, not so much out of discomfort, but because everyone was understandably hungry; much do so to the missed lunch from earlier.
I did my best to pick at the food with a dedicated hungriness that replicated how hungry I should've been by now to not rouse suspicion. This being me slowly eating a "chicken" leg as I watched the others clear their plates.
After everyone had their fair share, Flaur clapped her hands, and from outside came in Stergos; he began to clean up the table.
As Stergos finished up, he pulled the dishes and unfinished food to the side on a cart and rolled it out of the tent. A minute or two later, he came back and stood behind Flaur; this being his most natural spot.
"That was delicious," Ashari said happily, she hadn't had a good meal like this since the feast in the village.
"Super good! Thank you Big Sis!" The siblings said in unison.
Everything had a wonderful taste, but I could tell whatever I had eaten dissipated into me without giving a single ounce of satisfaction back. It felt like eating something empty in nutrition, like ice cream, and expecting it to give you the satisfaction you'd get from a hearty soup.
But, I didn't feel tired; I hadn't felt tired since the day I had woken up on Eos. This still is the case.
"Thank you, that was great," I thanked Flaur as I feigned satisfaction.
Flaur smiled haughtily, her teeth escaping her lips and forming a jagged grin.
"I'm glad you all enjoyed it," She noted.
"Now, I believe it's time we discuss some important things," Flaur looked up to Stergos and then the siblings, "Stergos if you could?"
Silently, Stergos gently picked up Rayji and Tesera who only mildly fussed as they were entering a food coma. He left with them in tow, leaving just the three of us now in the tent.
"That's better," Flaur yawned, she looked quite tired herself too.
"So, let's begin any and all questions that you may have for me," She said as she perked herself back up to remain attentive.
I looked over to Ashari, I wanted to let her speak her piece before I did.
"Y-yes, I suppose I should go first," Ashari stuttered out, a slip of nervousness in her voice.
"As you already know your Majesty, I hail from the Zepar Steppe," Ashari began to explain.
"We are called isolationists from many of the Houses-- that we're proud to be loners in the desert; away from Demons and Humans alike."
"But, I've come at the behest of my father, Chieftan Ratusk Zepar, to break that status quo. I'm here to act as a diplomat and to reintroduce ourselves into the seventy-two Houses of the kingdom. So if you could please vouch for us--"
Flaur raised her palm forward at Ashari, stopping her midsentence.
"Princess Ashari, excuse me for interrupting your request, but I believe you're mistaken," Flaur said with a serious look in her eye as she lowered her hand back to the table.
"I appreciate the fact that the House Zepar is wanting to re-enter the fold, but your information is quite outdated--" Flaur heavily sighed.
"There is no greater collective of the seventy-two Houses to speak of," She said with a tight-lipped frown.
"What do you mean, your Majesty?" Ashari spoke up, confused over what Flaur was saying.
Flaur's brows pinched themselves into a pained expression as she bit her lip, the whimsical girl from earlier wasn't here; in her place now was a monarch with the world resting on her shoulders.
"The majority of the Houses have been eradicated by Aurum, at most, only twelve remain; Ars Goetia being the thirteenth." She said, dropping the bombshell onto Ashari.
"I-Impossible!" Ashari jumped up from her seat, slamming her shaking fists onto the table.
Flaur was unphased by her outburst, her face was calm as she took in Ashari's sorrow.
"It is the truth, on the name of House Ars Goetia," Flaur decreed.
Ashari slumped back into her seat, she was at a loss over this terrible news. On Earth, swearing by a loved one's life is a major thing, but to swear on your bloodline? This was the unshakeable truth that Flaur had sworn to.
I felt a presence behind us, I glanced over at the tent's entrance and could see a faint shadow hover at its lip.
"It's fine, Stergos. You may re-enter." Flaur said as she looked at the tent's entrance.
From it, Stergos walked in. He still had his polite smile, but I wasn't fooled; he was the shadow waiting at the tent's lip, ready to take Ashari's life if she tried to get violent.
I caught a glance from Stergos, his polite facade slipping into a hidden bloodthirsty gaze as he reconvened to Flaur's side; he knew that I had caught him.
Flaur sighed heavily one more time, she resting her head onto her gloved hands as she closed her eyes.
"What do you think, Ignis?" Flaur spoke to me, her eyes still closed.
"This is a great tragedy, I'm at a loss too," I told her.
What I had said was neither a lie nor the truth. I didn't know for sure that this was the current state of affairs for Ars Goetia, but I had a strong assumption supported by the following facts.
The Desert Ogres, or as they're now known, the Zepar, shouldn't have been the only House to have been inhabiting the steppe. In Chronicles of Eos, there were at least five different genealogies of Demons that inhabited the desert. Especially one specific type known as Sand Dragoons, a powerful troop of twin-tailed Demons that rode wyverns into battle. To believe that the nomadic mercenary division of Desert Ogres had claimed the desert as the Zepar Steppe and not the dominant Sand Dragoons was a telling sign.
But, this wasn't my only leading hunch- it was when I had seen the soldiers from earlier as well.
Troop rotation should at most be within every two to three years for a royal corp. This being the case in CoE, years occurring every thirty minutes in-game time. To see that it's been a ten-year gap since a troop rotation is an indication of low population. This also is supported by the fact that they're all middle-aged men and not young men in their early twenties.
War is a young man's burden.
"You don't seem too surprised, Ignis. Were you aware of this as well?" Flaur said as she opened her eyes, her searing violet eyes peering into mine.
Damn, I screwed up. With my muddled emotions, feigning surprise was hard for me to do-- even more so if I already had an idea of what was going on.
"I had a suspicion, I suppose," I explained, shifting my eyes away for a moment.
It would be easy enough to tell her what I knew, but with the fact that I've claimed to be from somewhere far away...
Crap!
I looked back at Flaur, she looked like she was on the verge of laughing.
"KYAHAHAHA!" She laughed maniacally into the air.
"I'm- I'm sorry! It's just, KYAHAHAHA! The LOOK on your FACE!" She cackled some more as she pointed at me.
It all began with the tea party, with Flaur's behavior-- all of it.
She had never asked me where I was from.
I had only told her my name, and she used the ploy of her hot tea burning her tongue as a way to divert my suspicion.
And even if my suspicion was further raised, her happy-go-lucky behavior had convinced me she wasn't plotting anything.
A Queen should know where all of her subjects hail from, especially now so if there are only thirteen of the original Houses remaining.
I was under suspicion this entire time-- I had been outplayed.