POV: Lyra
"Livia Aphael?" I asked, clearly oblivious. When the Chief nodded, even the security officer at the portal was surprised to see me looking lost. "I don't know anyone by that name."
The Chief was surprised at my answer, so he unlocked his data pad to find an image before showing it to me. "Do you really not know her, Your Eminence?"
My eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, her! I'm sorry, Chief. I didn't know that was her name."
"But you seem to remember her quite well, my Empress." His tone wasn't accusatory, just genuinely confused.
"I do. I'm not sure if you're aware, Chief. But Sebastian Cummings was my previously-bonded match, and I severed our bond after finding him in intercourse with this female, who until today, I didn't know the name of."
"Ah, I see now. We were aware of the previous bond from the conversation between the siblings, but we were unaware of the full events leading to the severance."
"How is this relevant?" Orion asked impatiently, not pleased that my past rejection was being raised.
"Well, my Emperor. Livia Aphael's name came up in their conversation during Mr. Cummings's visit. Seeing that Ms. Cummings is gone, we're tracking everyone who may possibly be offering her shelter. After speaking to habitat neighbors and recreation center staff, we discovered Ms. Cummings and Ms. Aphael share a close friendship. So, we were looking into her."
Christian sat upright again. "What do you mean you 'were' looking into her? She's clear now?"
"That's the problem, Your Grace." The Chief's exhausted eyes peered into Christian's irritated ones. "She's missing. Her whole family unit is missing."
Christian muttered to himself, "You've got to be void-cursed [fucking] kidding me."
Orion uttered, "So it's safe to say this female is our prime suspect in helping Ms. Cummings escape?"
"That's the theory for now, yes. And what makes Ms. Aphael's position worse is that she was the female at the other High Commander's residence, the one who made advances before being thrown out by the High Commander himself. Seeing as he's also missing, we thought she might have something to do with their disappearances."
"That's possible." Orion muttered in agreement. "She could be the one who hired those beings to help break her friend out of detention."
"Yes, my Emperor, unless the results from the interrogation with Mr. Cummings offer a different conclusion." Dalloway looked at me. "My Empress, if I may ask, when did you last see Ms. Aphael? Was it when the bond was severed?"
I spoke calmly. "No, the last time I saw her, inadvertently, was when we were at a dining establishment..." I did a mental count, "...five solar days ago. What's the name of the establishment we went to the other day, Orion? The one with the huge bio-aquarium?"
"Le Paradis Luxueux." Orion said without hesitation, unable to suppress a smile at the memory of our dining engagement.
The officer at the portal recorded the name in his data pad as the Chief asked, "May we know the approximate time when you saw her, my Empress?"
"Around eighth hour, I guess. She wore a one-shoulder red synthetic dress with a high slit. Uh...I think she was with someone. The seat across from her had a plate of unfinished nutrients, but she was alone at her platform when I noticed her. When she felt my stare, she started speaking on her communicator and made her way out."
When the officer's furious recording stopped, the Chief asked, "And has there been anything else from the missing High Commander, Your Eminence?"
"No, Chief. Are you able to locate him yet?" I asked curiously.
"I'm afraid not, my Empress. But we're expanding our search now, so our chances of finding him and Tanner are higher than before."
I nodded in understanding. "I see. Is there anything else you need from me?"
"No, my Empress. Thank you for your time. And both of yours as well, my Emperor and Your Grace." The Chief shook our hands and bowed in gratitude before leaving the pod with the other officer.
When the three of us were alone, Christian started complaining, "Who would need to recruit a void-dumb [stupid] blonde with poor temperament and high affinity toward insanity?"
"It couldn't be Greg, could it?" Orion asked, basically making wild guesses now.
Christian scoffed. "What would Greg do with her? Next to him, her skills are probably worse than a beginner's. I doubt it's for intercourse too. I've seen them both in the same chamber before. Zero chemistry and almost zero overlap in social circles. He'd be around ministers' daughters, and she...well, before she was kicked out, she would be around...you, actually, cuz, even when you were just the Crown Prince."
"And it was void-annoying [bloody irritating]. It's like she won't take the hint that I'm not interested." Orion muttered as he held my hand on his lap.
That was when he realized I hadn't said a word since the officers left. The cousins looked my way, noticed I was lost in thought staring at the beige walls. With a gentle stroke on my hand, Orion said softly, "Star-heart, a credit for your thoughts?"
My black eyes, which were far away, were brought back to the pod instantly. Orion ran his fingers through my cranial strands as he asked, "What's on your mind, sweetheart? You seemed so far away."
My inner consciousness purred under his touch, and I smiled meekly. "I just didn't know Sebastian's bed warmer had access to such resources. If she could find beings to break her friend out of detention, why didn't she just hire someone to sleep with Cummings? Why did she do it herself?"
"Maybe she really liked him?" Orion offered a suggestion.
"Hm. That's a possible explanation, I suppose," I analyzed aloud.
"Something's still bothering you, Lyra. Tell me. What is it?" Orion uttered.