Life Beyond the Doors

Chapter 75 : Talk

Ethan's mind was still troubled as he stood beside his assistant, Lanier, debating on what the next course of action should be. They had been searching for Prince Aiden for what seemed like an eternity, but there was still no sign of him.

"So, what do you suggest we do now, Lanier?" Ethan asked, a hint of frustration creeping into his voice.

Lanier furrowed his brow in thought, "I think we might need to expand our search and send out more scouts. We need to cover more ground and see if anyone has spotted him."

Ethan nodded distractedly, "Yes, you're right, we need to leave no stone unturned. But what happens if we don't find him? Execute Plan B"

Lanier knew that this was not a conversation he wanted to have with Ethan. He knew how much Ethan cared for his brother, and any discussion about a plan B would be a blow to his morale.

Lanier replied, "We will find him, Your Highness. We have an extensive network of scouts and informants that we can leverage to locate him."

Ethan sighed and slumped into his chair, his mind lost in thought. "I just can't shake the feeling that something terrible Aiden is capable of making. We need to find him, Lanier."

Lanier placed his hand on Ethan's shoulder. "I understand, Your Highness. We will do everything in our power to locate him."

Ethan appreciated Lanier's words of comfort, but he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was terribly wrong. He thought of Marlin and how she always had a way of calming his nerves. He longed for her embrace and wished he had stayed to be with her instead of coming to the council meeting.

As the sun began to set, Ethan dismissed the council, and he walked toward the palace, still lost in thought.

Marlin had been looking for Everi all morning. She checked everywhere she thought Everi might be, having searched the common room, the kitchen, and the library. She finally ended up in the washroom, where she found Everi standing in front of the mirror, looking at her reflection while she tried to clean up her lipstick, which had smudged badly.

"What's wrong, Everi?" Marlin asked, concern etched on her face.

Everi glared at her reflection in the mirror. "Oh, nothing. I'm just having a little trouble with my lipstick," she spat, tossing the tissue onto the counter.

Marlin's eyebrows furrowed. It was clear that there was more to Everi's mood than just a smudged lipstick. "Are you sure that's all?" she asked softly.

Everi looked over to Marlin and sighed, saying "That asshole. He made my lips a mess."

Marlin was confused. "Who made your lips a mess?"

"He did," Everi said, her voice laced with frustration. "Prince Mathias."

"What happened?" Marlin asked.

"He kissed me," Everi said, her tone softening a bit. "But I can't say I hated it."

Marlin arched an eyebrow in surprise. "Really?"

Everi nodded, looking a little embarrassed. "I don't know what it is about him. He just has a way of making me feel things."

Marlin smiled knowingly, "I think I understand what you mean."

Everi turned back to the mirror, trying to fix her smudged lipstick. "But that doesn't mean he has the right to just kiss me whenever he wants. I need to make him understand that."