Nytherael went back to his room. He was a little bit confused about what happened after he locked himself inside the room.

When had Yiwa and Tivnir left with his husbands? What reasons did his husbands have for taking them? Why had no one informed him of the development?

He paced about the room, finding it difficult to breathe. On one hand, his husband was acting contrary to expectations. On the other hand, the entitled Emperor was busy putting pressure on him to be a loyal soldier.

The situation felt a bit too complicated and ironic to him. But since he was the one who dug the grave he was currently in, he did not waste time crying over spilt milk and took the pot of water at the corner of the room to wipe himself clean.

A new day, a new dawn was a new opportunity for him to pick up the pieces of his broken home and put them back together.

The sun that was shining today was not the one that shone yesterday and witnessed all of his mistakes. It was one that opened new doors and windows of opportunities, one that he could seize to accomplish his goals.

"Why did they take Yiwa, though?" He asked, finding the trivial task of wiping himself cleanly difficult without his servant present to help him.

After an hour of continuous struggle, Nytherael finally managed to wipe himself clean, change his clothes, and brush his hair into a decent style.

The difficulty of doing such simple tasks made him miss his servant dearly. He had a feeling his husbands were intentionally trying to make things difficult for him by taking Yiwa with them.

"No matter what their thoughts are. I must work extremely hard to win back their trust."

The determination from the previous day had yet to be extinguished. He found the courage, strength, and burning passion to chase after his beloved husbands and gain their forgiveness.

Knock knock knock!

The loud sound of banging on the door attracted his attention. He walked away from the bed and went to open the door for His visitor.

Rhysandor stood on the other side of the door, holding baskets of essence fruits. "I’m just gonna start off and say that you were perfect down there."

"I try," He said as he stepped aside and left enough room for Rhysandor to enter.

"For a moment, it felt like the old you were back. The friend of mine who never let anyone tell him what to do. It was so fire!"

"I aim to please." Nytherael smiled, "Plus, I just suddenly remembered that I’ve always been a fox who writes his own fate. No one commands me to do anything without my consent, and I do not consent anymore."

"I’m glad to hear And see that you have regained your might. For a second there, I thought that you were going to be the broken... I am a sinner... Nytherael... going forward," He said, completely proud.

"Don’t remind me," Nytherael cringed.

The moment settled between the two of them. They did not force themselves to fill it with words but simply sat down to enjoy the fruits that Rhysandor had brought.

They ate in a comfortable silence. Enjoying the tasty, energetic, and natural essence that came from the fruits.

Just then, the door to the room was pushed open, and princess Shiana and the other Beast folk walked in like they owned the place.

Nytherael watched them walk quietly. He didn’t ask them why they had come or where the manners went that they did not knock on his door before coming in.

"How ridiculous is it that without us reporting back. The Emperor already learnt that Nytherael set the decree on fire and that Tivnir was indisposed?"

Princess Sheana was fuming mad, near explosion. The tension in her nerves and muscles tightened.

"Maybe one of you reported back," Nytherael lazily suggested, like the matter had nothing to do with him.

The beastfolk all exchanges looks. They scanned each other’s faces and body language for cracks to find the beast that reported back to the emperor.

"I was Aenyra at the back of the inn," Princess Sheana spoke up, "I am her alibi, and she is mine. We need to send a report back to the capital."

All eyes fell on Aenyra. The beast folks were aware that dragoness Princess Aenyra, for the life of her, never told lies.

"Yes, it wasn’t us," Aenyra supported Princess Sheana’s claim. "Additionally, I don’t answer directly to the emperor, and if I were to send out a report, it would be to the beast court, and their agenda is different from the Emperor. Even if I did, they wouldn’t inform him."

Heads nodded at her explanation. It was common knowledge that the emperor had a falling out with the beast court. There was rarely a direct flow of information or loyalty between the two power houses.

"What of Princess Samahita? she was the only one who overreacted to the decree burning like her soul had been ripped out along with it," Nerezza raised her doubts.

"It wasn’t her," Theren quickly stepped forward and shielded the still traumatised ice phoenix.

"How can we be so sure?"

"I was will her the whole time. I would’ve noticed if she sent a message out."

"Not if she was using an Aether wing spirit beast," Nytherael fanned the flames.

"Yes," Nerezza ate at the lead. "Aether Wing Spirits are invisible and are used for communications. Once they form a bond with their owner. No one else can spot them, and only the receiver can hear the message."

All blame shifted to Princess Samahita. The beastfolk around the room all glared in her direction.

They were at crossroads about their feelings concerning the mission and before they had the chance to process anything. She went and reported to the emperor, and none of them took kindly to the new envoy who not only appeared rude but disrespectful too.

"Don’t be in a rush to judge," Theren still spoke in her defence.

The little time they had alone in the hut gad given him some understanding of Princess Sahamita. He couldn’t believe she’d pull such a move without informing anyone.

"Why don’t you let her speak up for herself?"