Ephemeral Affairs [MXM]

The One Who Got Away

In the study room of the Leire palace, Borscht busy himself with paperwork until his stomach grumbles from pain.

He drops his pen for the first time in hours to pour himself a cold cup of tea.

"How long have I been at this?" Borscht takes a sip and spits it out, "This brew had long past its prime."

Borscht gets up to pour his cup and pot to a nearby plant that is wilting, "I did not came back with the intention of doing this."

He looks around for Jotan but couldn't find him, so he decides to recharge with a quick nap.

"I should check on Nilavie while I'm at it," Borscht sighs with a tender smile, thinking about his daughter.

When he opens the door, he hears nothing because it's a couple hours before dawn. He finds his way to Nilavie's room.

She sleeps comfortably in her crib while Nilyan is curled up with a body pillow.

Borscht chuckles.

Then he walks toward the little crib where the young princess is awake and staring at nothing.

"Oh. Were you waiting for me?" Borscht picks her up and goes to relax on a chair next to the drawn window.

He stares at the snowy mountaintops in the Northwest. The remaining snow left of the winter glows in the moonlight.

"I want to offer all of my time to you, sadly I can only steal moments with you," Borscht leans in to sniff the baby smell. "You've grown so much and I have yet to spend a full day with you."

Nilavie yawns and her eyes are barely opened.

"I need to finish writing a few more essays addressing the legitimacy of your birthright so that I can protect you and your father from the Royal Council, Lord Nuisin, and other Masters and Lords who might want to strip you of your birthright," Borscht smiles, feeling recharged already. "Then I'll read the reports from the farmers and finalize a back up plan if the harvest isn't enough this year."

"I'm so busy, Nilavie. I hope you can forgive me," Borscht knits his brows and wears a gentle frown. "Everything I do is for our family, our people."

Then Borscht hears a sleep talking from the bed and decides to hear something so he can tease Nilyan later.

Before Borscht even got to the bed, he stopped himself from making even the slightest sound.

There on the bed, Nilyan is sleeping next to a naked woman. They're cuddling and it pangs Borscht's heart deeply.

He does not want to witness this affair under his roof. He takes a corner of the cover and flings it across the room.

Nilyan and the naked woman wake up from the sudden coldness and movement.

The woman screams and hides herself behind Nilyan, waking up the young princess again.

"Get out of my bed."

But the woman continues to hide herself behind Nilyan who is trying to make her leave and apologize, "I'm sorry, but it is not what it may seem... Come on. Go."

"If the King isn't here, eagerly waiting for our wedding, I would personally escort you both out of my house," Borscht glares at them with red and sleep deprived eyes.

"It's not what you think—"

Borscht abruptly turns around to walk away with his daughter, "If you still want your title, I suggest you not do this while the King and Queen are here. I don't care who and how many you sleep with. Our marriage is completely political."