Arius was never one to take much interest in the romantic affairs of those around him, nor did he himself find such matters intriguing enough to look into.
'I doubt someone like him would ever find a human attractive...' He told himself and yet, the anxiety never went away.
Eventually, he decided to take the longer route that strayed from his usual path back to his office, hoping to get a glimpse of whatever the emperor was up to.
The minister couldn't help but give in to his overthinking ways when he made the hasty decision to confirm Lex's suspicious relationship with the human princess himself.
Although his duty was to serve the reigning ruler to the best of his abilities, Arius had always believed that every individual, regardless of royal status, should have the freedom to choose whom they married.
Of course, there were instances where an arranged marriage turned out well, like that of his parents, however, such occurrences were strikingly rare within the higher hierarchy.
A potential love story between a Roseabelle and human was completely out of the question, even if one of them happened to be the ruler of Stygia, someone that could do whatever he pleases without punishment.
Two species that were meant to be on opposite ends of a line were better off that way, no matter what the circumstances may be.
As he got closer to his destination, Arius could faintly hear the pair chatting from the other side of the room, although he failed to make out the actual sentences that were being exchanged.
Before he could react however, the door burst open to reveal Lex, Kaari and Nox standing right in front of him, preparing to say their farewells to the princess.
"... Minister." Kaari greeted politely despite the visible surprise in her face. "I hope you've been well."
Arius only responded with a small nod before he turned to face the emperor, who quietly observed the brief and uncomfortable interaction between them.
The brewing distaste swirling in Lex's emerald eyes wasn't hard to miss, even with the emperor's best attempt to hide his true emotions in front of the unsuspecting human.
"As per the deal we made, I'll be in contact with you soon, princess." Lex spoke with a small smirk, causing the human's blush to reach all the way up to the tip of her ears.
"I'm afraid I won't be able to escort you back to Imnolyn this time around, so please allow Nox to do that for me."
"Of course, Your Majesty. I hope you have a good night, both of you." She offered a polite bow to both the Roseabelles before leaving the premises, with Nox leading the way out.
Arius remained silent about the growing suspicions he harbored while he observed the unusually warm exchange between the two.
However, the tense silence was short-lived once he was finally alone with the emperor.
"I thought I made it clear that I wanted to be left alone." Lex's voice was calm but the look in his eyes from before now back in full force. "I must say, Arius. You're starting to underestimate the amount of patience I have for you and your damned crew."
"I was just heading back to my office, Your Highness." Arius' lie came out convincingly, lowering his head respectfully to enhance its credibility. "Please forgive my foolishness, however, I think our paths crossing was entirely coincidental."
"The path to your study doesn't cross through here at all." Lex accused, Arius' alibi failing to convince him otherwise. "I'm quite offended, minister. To think that someone as righteous as you would go as far as to spy on me, the emperor you swore to serve faithfully."
"Like I said, Your Majesty. This was purely incidental." Arius' tone grew sharp at the insult, but he still remained professional, staying true to his role as the minister of defense. "I simply took a detour to get my mind off of some things."
"Though, I am quite curious as what could be so significant that the princess decided to journey all the way here in the dead of night."
For a brief moment, Lex held Arius' brazen gaze, the frown on his face only deepening when he finally caught wind of the minister's intentions.
"There were no prior arrangements for this meeting of yours, at least none that I was aware of." Arius continued to make his case when Lex remained silent, a cunning look brewing underneath his unmoving expression. "Not to mention how frequently she's been visiting with no agenda whatsoever."
"Are you perhaps... interested in her?" Arius brought the topic up with caution, though he could immediately feel the air in the room grow tense as soon as the sentence left him.
"I hope you don't take any offense to my words, Your Majesty as I am simply looking out for you. It would be rather troublesome if baseless rumors between you and the human princess were to reach those that you may take as your queen-"
"Why must I be the one to take that into account when you didn't even have the guts to say the same thing to my sister?"
Something sinister flickered in Lex's eyes despite his expression remaining so calm, but his words came out amused, as if he found humor in Arius' claim.
"A queen, you say?" A bitter laugh accompanied his words, devoid of any trace of humor in his tone. "What, did you think you could use the threat of marriage to get me to behave?"
Lex's smile only widened when he notices Arius visibly flinch at his bold accusations.
"I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but you'd have to do a little more than that to make me fold."
"Don't cross the line if you're not ready to face the consequences, Arius." Lex's warned gravely, his tone stern. "Your purpose is to serve me, not to exert control."
"... With all due respect, Your Majesty but I 'm aware of my duties as minister better than anyone but what about you? Don't you think your decisions as emperor have been reckless as of late?"
Arius returned with an unwavering voice, his gaze steady and unflinching in the face of Lex's formidable presence.
"To you, it might not mean anything, but I took a vow for this nation, and I shall continue to do my best to fulfill it, even if it means dealing with your disapproval."
Arius clenched his fists tightly at his sides, struggling to hold onto the little self-control he had left.
"I will not let Stygia fall victim to the human's deceitful nature again, and if I have to go against your orders to do so, then so be it."
"... Is that a threat?" Lex challenged Arius with excitement glimmering in his eyes.
"I am simply voicing out my opinions. Not everything has to be about violence."
"Hm, a cliche response, but I commend it nonetheless."
There was a trace of genuine disappointment lingering in his voice, but it swiftly vanished as something else sparkled in his eyes now.
"You should show this part of yourself more often. I was starting to grow tired of that obvious facade you hide behind."
"I don't know what you're insinuating by this, Your Highness." Arius feigned ignorance to Lex's accusations against him with expertise.
"Of course you don't."
His voice deepened, the familiar flash of anger flickering across his face once more.
"I pray for your own sake that this will be the first and last time I ever have to tell you this, so listen up."
"All you have to do as myminister, Arius, is to stand next to me and act pretty for the masses to see while I do my job as emperor."
He patted Arius' shoulder encouragingly, clearly amused by the glare Arius was giving him.
"What exactly about that seems so difficult to do, hm?"
"You think meddling with the princess will work as you planned it would? How naive. If anything, it will only cause more trouble for you, not me. After all, she is Varen's puppet, am I wrong?"
His sentence was followed with a disrespectful scoff.
"The psycho tends to bite those that meddles with what belongs to him, so although I'd love to see what happens, I suggest you be smart with your decisions."
"You wouldn't want Varen spreading all your dirty secrets around now, would you?" The fear and surprise in Arius' face was more than enough to tell Lex that he had the upper hand now. "Would you even have the courage to face Zeya if she appeared right in front of you?"
"How-"
"Now, now. I wouldn't recklessly run your mouth here if I were you."
He interrupted the minister from talking any further.
"You are free to make your own decisions, but I hope you know better than to upset me. After all, you have more to lose than I do, right?"
Lex warned with an all-knowing expression before he walked away, leaving Arius with his own gut-wrenching paranoia.