2433 Old Life, New Problems (Part 1)

Bodya took Tista's hands into his own and kissed them while standing up, ready to leave.

"Please, stay." Tista pulled him down gently, bringing him onto the bed beside her again. "I really need someone to talk with and you are the only one I know who can understand my struggle and to whom I can fully open up."

"What about your brother?" Bodya tilted his head in confusion.

"Lith doesn't count." She sighed. "He had no idea what would happen to his life forces so he never struggled like I am now. As a Tiamat, he still has arms and legs so he only had to get used to his new strength.

"On top of that, he never experienced problems with intimacy. Kamila knew about his hybrid nature from before Lith's life forces merged and she helped him to embrace the different aspects of his nature before and after he achieved the violet."

"What?" Bodya's eyes went wide in surprise. "Are you telling me that he… That they…"

"Yes." Tista chuckled, seeing his ashen skin turning to a shade of purple. "Kamila has Lith shapeshift for their role play."

"Seriously? What do they do exactly?"

"Do you really think I ask my brother about the details of his sex life? Gross!" Tista made retching sounds, shivering at the idea of both the question and the answer she would receive.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, it's just…" Once again, the Nidhogg failed to say such things out loud, forcing Tista to do it for him.

"That you are embarrassed from being still a virgin as a Nidhogg and are envious of Lith?"

"Yes- I mean no. I mean… Gods!" Bodya's skin almost turned pink as she burst in a peal of silvery laughter. "Maybe I should leave."

"Please, stay. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you." Tista held him tenderly and gave him a sweet kiss.

"Yet you did." He replied, making her apologize over and over. "Maybe I overshared."

"Not at all." Tista shook her head. "It helped me to realize how big my- our issue is. I hadn't given a thought to most things you said, like the hunger. Speaking of that, did you have dinner already? My treat, order as much as you want."

"I have a little confession to make." Bodya gave her a small smile. "I always eat before one of our dates so that I can pretend to be a normal man and be satisfied with a meal at a restaurant.

"No matter the form you take, once you become an Emperor Beast, your stomach growls like one."

Only after hearing those words did Tista realize how much thought and effort he put in their relationship.

"Thanks, Bodya."

"For what?" He asked in confusion.

"For everything." Tista was still scared about her condition and had no idea what to do with her life forces but for the first time since she had turned into a hybrid she didn't feel alone anymore.

***

Just like the concierge of the Grilled Kraken had promised, their stay in Zalma turned out to be pleasant and relaxing. The girls would tour the city together during the day and then split up for dinner which Tista would spend with Bodya.

After a few days, people started to recognize Tista and Solus from the videos but their attitude only became friendlier for it.

Merchants gave them discounts every time they bought something and nobles invited them to social events as their honored guests. Solus made the mistake of accepting an invitation only once and deeply regretted it.

Living away from the warzone meant that the people of Zalma had no hard feelings but also a romanticized view of the War of the Griffons. Nobles kept asking Tista and Solus about their exploits on the battlefield, forcing them to remember the atrocities that they had seen and committed.

Their hosts considered the civil war against the Mad Queen no different from a bard's tale. In their mind, it was a story about heroes who had defeated a cruel tyrant and then had come back covered in glory.

To Tista and Solus, instead, it was a collection of bloodshed and grief.

"I know that it's a sensitive topic, but I need to ask." A chubby Duke asked, his face looked remorseful but Solus could see from his eyes that it was all a façade to hide his curiosity. "Did Lady Ernas really get enslaved or did she willingly betray the Kingdom?"

At those words, Solus' face went pale and her eyes wide in shock. The nobles nearby gasped, holding their breath thinking the Duke had struck a nerve.

"I mean, I understand that she was angry with the Royals for the injustice she had suffered after Kulah, but-"

"Archmage Ernas." Solus' voice was reduced to a hiss.

"I beg your pardon?" The Duke tilted his head, making his jowls jiggle.

"She's Archmage Ernas for you!" Solus snarled. "And yes, she was really enslaved. Phloria risked her life countless times to save us all and she would have never betrayed the Kingdom!

"I will not stand here and let someone who has never suffered more than a paper cut slander her name. Let's go." Solus walked out of the ballroom, quickly followed by Tista and Nyka.

"Please, stay!" Their host, Marquis Eltas, said. "I'm really sorry for what happened but you must understand that Duke Hestia's intentions were pure. We heard a lot of rumors from the frontlines and it's hard to tell the truth from malicious gossip.

"He just wanted to-"

"Did you just say Hestia?" Solus' face turned red from anger and the Marquis felt like her glare was drilling a hole in his head.

"Yes. Do you know each other?" Eltas gave her his best smile, hoping to calm her down.

"Yes, and I can tell you that he meant every single word. We're done here. Goodbye." The Marquis chased them until the Warp Gate, apologizing for his guest's behavior but Solus didn't listen to a word he said.

"Who was that guy?" Tista asked.

"The father of a pompous jackass that Lith got expelled from the White Griffon on his first day." Solus replied. "Let's get out of Zalma. This place sickens me."

They left on the following day, but the pattern repeated itself in every city of the Kingdom they moved to. Someone would recognize them, the news of their presence would spread, and then they would be invited by the lord of the land.

Refusing wasn't an option, not with both Tista and Solus carrying the Verhen name. It would have meant creating hostilities between their household and the local nobles. Solus was afraid to further compromise Kamila's standing in the Court so she was forced to accept.

The problem was that everyone only wanted to talk about the war. The nobles would ask them about their most famous missions and to describe in detail their fights against Thrud's Generals, Phloria included.

Solus always emphasized how the slave array had given Phloria no choice and how the Mad Queen had killed her just to hurt Lith, but Solus could see from the nobles' faces that they didn't give a damn about it.