EVENTIDE ✓

⠀⠀⠀ XIX. HIS SECRET

— OUTER RIM TERRITORIES

⠀⠀⠀ THAT DAY THE SUN WAS SIZZLING MORE THAN USUAL. The gases now present in the atmosphere did little to help to fight against the heat which was surrounding the planet.

The princess walked through the familiar halls, the ones where she had her heart broken by the one she had always truly loved. It was heavy around her. She felt the pain and weight of the struggles he and she both held, her heart screaming, wailing at her to bring him back.

She did not want to do anything with the Phindian, but to get her planet back, free the people at last, she had no choice but to tolerate him as much as she can, until she is ready to fulfil her plan.

"There she is," she heard Jyu's voice as soon as the doors opened, "my wife,"

"We are not married," she began, avoiding his eyes.

"Yet," he continued for her, a wide smile on his face. His eyes followed her frame as she walked over to the seat on the opposite of him, eyes on the cutlery which lay on the table. Milada's gaze did not fix on Jyu and she simply nodded, waiting for the servants to bring in the main meals while the male still looked at her expectedly.

She did not want to look at him, he disgusted her.

Jyu on the other hand, was determined to make her look at him so he can see her face as he speaks to her, something he needed to have when he spoke to anyone in fact, "you have to look at me eventually," he stated.

But she was stubborn, ruthless if needed too, thus she did not look at him — ignoring the Phindian sat before her. Her thoughts were fixed on the Jedi Master, Obi Wan Kenobi, who had left her. His homely leer, caring hands which held her tightly—

"Is it the Jedi?" He asked, hiding his smirk as he saw her tense, "you do not wish to look at me as I am not him," he teased, watching her pale skin form into small patches on her exposed arms.

The Phindian was taken aback by that, never had he witnessed such phenomenon. He lived a long life, constant travelling and trading had exposed him to various sentient species, but he had never witnessed anyone like Milada before.

"Our princess is half human," he whispered, looking away from her, his eyes wide and worried as he saw her slowly look up from the corner of his eyes.

"Isn't it obvious?" She grumbled, her lavender eyes narrowed at the Phindian who looked completely rapt.

Jyu did not say anything, he didn't want to. All his life he was deprived off seeing what others saw. He did not know what the sky looked like, the oceans and the ice — it was all a mystery to him. Thus he was not aware of what colour the Galacian people's flesh was, assuming that the change in Milada's skin was due to her possible human genetics.

"I did not know—"

"Know what?" Milada cut him off, "you did not know that Galacians and humans have different derma hue?"

"Yes," he smiled awkwardly at her, avoiding her gaze now.

Have he not encountered humans? This was less likely as Phindar was one of the main planets for the Syndicate thus many traders, even of human species, would've passed through it.

She frowned at his reply, watching as he did everything to avoid looking at her now, when moments earlier he was determined to make her look at him. But what puzzled her the most was his lack of knowledge of colours, which could only mean one thing.

"You can't see certain tints," it was more of a statement rather than a question and she saw his whole body freeze. For some reason, she felt sympathetic of the Phindian as her assumption was correct. She shouldn't though — he is the one who invaded her planet and killed her father.

"Yes," he sighed, head dropping, "I do not see the colours to their full extent,"

Before she could come up with a reply, the doors swung open and the servants rushed in with various plates full of dishes, placing them on the tables. Milada felt a familiar clench in her stomach as she eyed the foods before her, wanting a taste as she did not eat for days. Jyu witnessing that let his shoulders drop as he was glad that she will not be asking him further questions regarding his state for now.

"It is no surprise that the Appulse is no longer in place," Jyu began after a while of silent eating, "but the ritual of Gy'oiro ceremony should take place so your people do not revolt,"

Milada stopped eating, placing the fork on the table near her plate, "you expect my people to not rise up?" She asked in disbelief, "especially after what your people have done,"

"I do not expect anything, dear," he argued, raising his hands above him slightly, "I only want to follow your traditions,"

"The ceremony cannot take place as the elders would not approve of that, the next Appulse will take place in fifty years,"

"I am aware of that, princess—"

Milada abruptly stood from the table, the chair behind her moved with a great force, almost falling. She quickly made her way to the other end of the table where the Phindian sat and looked down at him, her lavender eyes burning the male who gulped in fear.

"If you want to be the king, you have to kill me," she stated through gritted teeth, "I will not submit to a man like you for a husband,"

He was speechless, unsure of what to say as his ability to present his confidence and mordacity had vanished before her. She was much more powerful and assertive than him and the Phindian could barely stand against her.

As soon as those words left her mouth, her soft hand made contact with the harsh face of the male, the sound of the impact echoing through the chamber as he almost fell from the chair due to the strength of it, hissing from pain as his hands flew to where she hit him. He looked up at her in disbelief, betrayal and unease as she only looked at him with disrelish and repellence before turning around and storming out of the hall.

The doors closed hard behind her and Jyu flinched, his wide eyes fixed on his right hand which left his cheek. This is going awful.