Ephemeral Affairs [MXM]

News of Twists

They hold hands with Nillin on the floor leaning onto Maeve's lap. He says, "Today was horrible, but I told them that we'll leave if they don't present the content of the treaty tomorrow."

"It must be that Prince Ajax is changing his mind on things," Maeve comments after thinking about Ajax's father and child relationship with Nillin and Niowei.

"You make it sound like he has so much power, and yet he has done nothing but fools around ever since I've seen him."

"That is not wrong, however, consider that it's perhaps an act. I think there's no way a Crown Prince would act so foolishly if it's not truly just an act. After all, he is actually our father," Maeve stops speaking after feeling Nillin's grip tightens on his hand.

Nillin's nose twitches with a perplexed yet angry glare into the distance. Once he returns to himself, he kisses the back of Maeve's hand, "How did you come to that conclusion? And how can you trust that information?"

"He told Niowei personally. I trust it because it explained why Mother couldn't find his consciousness to weave it in the clone." Maeve gives a little sigh after seeing Nillin's disappointing expression.

"I know that I'm trusting this on very little evidence and mostly speculations, but trust me. It's truly is Father in that body. Why did he come to my carriage to see me when he doesn't care about me now? It could be that he heard the stories of me and how I look like, so he wanted to see if I'm actually Mother."

Nillin glances at Maeve from below with an amused smirk, "I trust you, but allow me to investigate some more. Anyway, I've been wanting to ask you, do you blame me for anything at all? Your mother's kins; or your father's clan; or brother Trieu; or your miscarriage?"

"You know I love you," Maeve sucks in his lips. "But if my silence has created any insecurities in you, then it is my duty to mend them."

Maeve tells Nillin how he doesn't blame Nillin for the massacre of the Enzumins nor the Zummarians, or the miscarriage; but he wishes to know the truth of what happened to Trieu.

So Nillin explains to his wife that after he heard his wife threatened to leave him, he learned that he couldn't possibly let his wife and children go. To perhaps compromise with Maeve, Nillin went to Trieu and wanted to release his brother-in-law.

"But by the time I got there, Fagolan handed brother Trieu's head and the sword that amputated him to me," Nillin's mouth becomes dry.

"I trust you," Maeve pulls Nillin toward him with tears flowing onto his cheeks.

"I'm sorry that it took me so long to tell you, but I was scared that you wouldn't believe me," Nillin takes his open hand and wipes away the salty and bitter water from his wife's face.

Nillin grins softly with a lighter back, "Even when you're crying, you're beautiful."

"How can you say something so embarrassing at a time like this?" Maeve quickly wipes his cheeks and holds in anymore tears.

"You're even more beautiful all flustered. I'm never tired of this face," Nillin laughs and his eyes are only on his wife.

Maeve raises his elbow and covers his face while Nillin only laughs some more.

Then with a serious tone, Nillin asks, "But I don't understand why you could forgive me so easily?"

"Of course I am sad, angry, frustrated, and perhaps even developed evil thoughts like the next person," Maeve peeks at Nillin from under his forearm. "But it doesn't make sense for me to hold grudges against an innocent person."

"I told myself that I wouldn't do things out of spite again," Maeve pouts with regretful eyes.

"Like what?"