Chapter 317

The Royal Guards returned Zaeryn to the guest residence shortly after the psychological evaluation ended.

By the time the door closed behind him, Zaeryn wanted nothing more than to stop answering questions for the rest of the day.

He had spent hours explaining himself to women who possessed enough authority to decide what happened to him afterward. The Council had questioned his abilities, his intentions and the relationships through which his Vitae developed. Dr. Halden had then taken everything further by questioning how he thought, what he valued and what he might be willing to do if someone eventually pushed him far enough.

Zaeryn understood why the evaluation had been necessary, but understanding something did not make it any less exhausting.

He walked farther into the suite and immediately noticed that there were three people in the main living area. Kayla occupied one of the armchairs, while Sage and Viora were seated on the sofa nearby.

Viora looked up as he approached, a faint smile appearing on her face.

"It’s good to see you alive and well, Little Brother," Viora said.

"Yeah, it’s good to be alive," Zaeryn replied, returning her smile.

Seeing Sage and Viora waiting for him was a pleasant surprise after spending so much of the day in unfamiliar rooms. He had expected to return to an empty suite and begin calling everyone who wanted to know how the evaluation had gone. He was less pleased to find Kayla there, but he was too tired to give her an excuse to start another argument.

His gaze moved between them as he continued towards the sitting area.

"So, what brings all three of you here?" Zaeryn asked, keeping his tone light.

"I came to see you when you got back from the questioning," Sage explained. "Viora and Kayla arrived a little while ago."

Kayla glanced towards him, although she did not say anything. She remained seated in the armchair while Sage studied his expression more closely.

"You look irritated," Sage said.

"I’ve spent most of the day being asked increasingly creative versions of whether I might become dangerous enough to justify imprisoning me," Zaeryn replied. "I’m surprised I only look irritated."

Kayla dismissed his complaint with a small movement of her fingers, apparently finding nothing particularly remarkable about the ordeal he had just described.

"How did the psychological evaluation go?" Sage asked.

"I have absolutely no idea," Zaeryn replied.

"That well?" Sage asked, a trace of amusement entering her voice.

Zaeryn looked at her before continuing towards the kitchen.

"Dr. Halden didn’t tell me anything," Zaeryn explained. "She asked questions, wrote things down and occasionally looked at me as though something I said was more interesting than I intended it to be."

"That sounds like Dr. Halden," Viora said.

Zaeryn stopped and looked back towards her.

"You know her?" Zaeryn asked.

"I know who she is," Viora corrected. "The Imperial Council uses her for sensitive evaluations. She assesses senior officers, intelligence personnel and people whose judgment matters enough that someone wants to know whether there’s anything wrong with it."

That information did not make Zaeryn feel much better.

"So they brought in someone important enough to evaluate whether I’m secretly insane," Zaeryn said.

"They brought in someone whose report the Council will actually respect," Viora replied. "There’s a difference."

Viora glanced towards the kitchen before speaking again.

"By the way, there’s food in the refrigerator now," Viora said. "I had someone bring a few things up while you were being evaluated."

Zaeryn’s expression brightened immediately, and he looked towards the refrigerator before turning back to his sister.

"Wait, really?" Zaeryn asked.

"Yes," Viora replied, looking mildly amused by his reaction. "I was surprised to realise that you still need to eat so regularly, considering how much of your biology resembles a Warlady’s."

"Yeah, I still need to eat," Zaeryn confirmed.

He had been reminded of the difference repeatedly since arriving at the residence. The women responsible for preparing his accommodations could apparently overlook a meal without suffering for it, while he had spent the morning wondering how much longer he would have to wait before finally eating something.

"But how did you know I hadn’t eaten?" Zaeryn asked.

"Your stomach was making some rather noticeable noises when I came to see you this morning," Viora explained.

Zaeryn felt a little embarrassed as he imagined how weird his stomach would have sounded.

"Oh, I didn’t notice that," Zaeryn admitted. "But it’s been a while since I last ate, so that would explain it."

"I thought I should make sure there was something here when you returned," Viora said.

"Thank you. I appreciate it," Zaeryn said.

Zaeryn opened the refrigerator and stared inside without immediately taking anything. The shelves, which had previously held little more than bottled water, were now stocked with several containers of food and a selection of fresh fruit.

He was tired enough that even deciding what he wanted to eat felt unnecessarily complicated. Eventually, he removed a bottle of chilled water and closed the refrigerator again, deciding that he could choose something after he had taken a drink.

"What happens now?" Zaeryn asked, looking back towards the living area. "After the psychological evaluation and my appearance before the Council."

"The Council will receive her report," Viora replied.

"I know that part," Zaeryn replied.

"Then you are going to wait for their decision," Viora said.

Zaeryn twisted the cap from the bottle.

"That seems to be everyone’s favourite answer whenever I ask what happens to my life," Zaeryn said.

Kayla finally spoke from her seat in the armchair.

"You’ll be staying in the Capital for a few more days," Kayla said.

Zaeryn lowered the bottle before taking a drink and turned towards her. He had known that his return was not yet certain, but he had still hoped that completing the evaluation would allow him to leave soon.

"What for? I thought I was finished," Zaeryn said.

"Did anyone tell you that you could leave?" Kayla asked.

Zaeryn looked at her with renewed irritation. He had asked a reasonable question, and she was already speaking to him as though he were too stupid to understand his situation.

"I asked why they need me to stay," Zaeryn replied.

"The Council still has to review everything and approve the conditions for your return," Viora explained.

"Didn’t they already agree that Sector Seven would continue supervising me?" Zaeryn asked.

"They did. But I would imagine they still have to decide what that supervision will look like," Viora said.

Zaeryn understood the explanation, although it did little to ease his disappointment. He had spent most of the day answering their questions, and he had hoped that the decisions following those answers could be reached without keeping him in the Capital for several more days.

"Can’t they do that while I’m back in Sector Seven?" Zaeryn asked.

"They want you here until they’ve reached a decision," Viora replied.

He looked at his sister for several seconds before asking the question that mattered most to him.

"How many days are we talking about?" Zaeryn asked.

"Two or three, if there’s nothing they need to follow up on," Viora answered.

"And if there is?" Zaeryn asked.

"Then I imagine someone will tell you," Kayla replied.

Zaeryn finally took a drink of water, giving himself a moment before asking anything else. Two or three days was not an unreasonable amount of time, but he disliked knowing that the estimate could change before he reached the end of it.

"Am I expected to spend all that time inside this suite?" Zaeryn asked Viora.

"You’re required to remain in the Capital," Viora replied. "You can request permission to leave the residence with an escort. Leaving the sector will have to wait until the Council approves your return."

Zaeryn glanced towards the windows before lowering his gaze to the bottle in his hand. He would have preferred to hear that he could go home, but being allowed to leave the residence at least meant that he would not have to spend the next few days waiting inside the same room.

He returned to the refrigerator and selected one of the prepared meals, deciding that he had spent enough time discussing the Council’s decision on an empty stomach. While the food warmed, Sage rose from the sofa and walked towards him.

"At least you’ll still be here for the Lumina Gala," Sage said.

Zaeryn looked towards her, remembering that the Gala had originally been part of the visit he was supposed to make to the Capital. The sudden change in his departure and everything that had followed had left him with little time to think about attending it.

"I suppose I will," Zaeryn replied.

"I was hoping we’d have a chance to go together," Sage said. "It would be nice to spend an evening with you before you leave."

Zaeryn found himself smiling at the suggestion. He had wanted to spend more time with Sage while he was in the Capital, and going to the Gala together would give them something to look forward to while they waited for the Council’s decision.

"I’d like that," Zaeryn said. "Assuming I’m allowed to go."

"You’re not allowed," Viora replied.

Zaeryn’s smile faded as he looked back towards the sofa.

"Why is that?" Zaeryn asked.

"Your name isn’t on the guest list," Viora explained. "And guests aren’t permitted to bring anyone with them this year."

Sage frowned slightly at the answer.

"Valerie was arranging that," Sage said. "She told me to leave it to her."

"I know," Viora replied. "She asked for an exception, but Princess Athea refused the request for obvious reasons."

Before Zaeryn could respond, a chime sounded from the communication panel beside the entrance.

"Mr. Noctis, you have a visitor waiting outside," the residence system announced.

Zaeryn turned towards the door, wondering who else had come to see him. He hadn’t arranged to meet anyone, and the announcement had given him no indication of who was waiting on the other side.

His thoughts returned to Athea before he could stop himself. She hadn’t visited him yesterday, and when he had seen her that morning, they had been inside the Imperial Council chamber with everyone watching them. There had been no opportunity for them to speak privately, but the questioning was finished now.

Could the visitor be his mother? Had Athea finally come to see him?