The Niqols' customs that concerned specific political events weren't too complicated. Doku had given detailed instructions, and Khan had even heard them before from Liiza.
The recruits performed a general deep bow before stepping forward to bow in front of each Niqols. The latter replied with similar gestures, and some announced their political roles before Ambassador Yeza brought everyone inside the palace.
"Many important figures from each tribe travel here to attend specific matters," Yeza explained while walking in front of the group at a slow pace to make sure that everyone took a good look at her exposed back. "We can control most of the functions in the region powered by mana from here. This involves every symbol that you have seen, communicators, and other things unique only to this place."
Khan found Yeza's slow pace quite annoying. He was the only one among his group unaffected by her beauty, so he didn't enjoy that walk through the almost empty corridor connected to the entrance.
Guests couldn't wander alone. That was part of the customs, which wasn't hard to follow. Yet, those traditions also stated that they could suggest activities or ask questions only after the main host was over with the general introduction of the habitation.
Those customs didn't apply to the Niqols who had welcomed the recruits and Professor Supyan. The aliens slowly returned to their tasks as multiple rooms started to appear along their path. It didn't take much before only the humans, Liiza, Yeza, and a few young Niqols remained in the corridor.
The environment eventually revealed something that Khan could inspect while the slow walk continued. Artworks made of silk-like materials started to cover the walls, and soft carpets appeared on the floor. They carried unusual red shades, and the drawings on them were mostly abstract.
Those artworks were a rare sight among the structures that the Niqols showed to the humans, but Khan couldn't avoid connecting the redness of their shades to Zalpa's hair. It seemed that they belonged to an ancient part of the aliens' history that came before the cooperation with the humans. The palace probably kept them due to their undeniable artistic value.
The corridor ended in a large hall that featured large staircases on both sides. The area had more of those artworks together with wooden tables and chairs with handmade decorations. The furniture carried the same style that Khan had seen before, and the red shades also appeared often.
"Let's go upstairs," Ambassador Yeza announced with her sweet voice. "Something to drink should arrive soon."
The Lysixi didn't take much to reach the palace, and the slow walk had only lasted for half an hour. According to the Niqols' standards, it was early morning, so the recruits hoped that Yeza's drink didn't involve booze.
According to Liiza and Doku's words, the last custom connected to those events was something that the Niqols had started to abandon after the humans landed on Nitis. It basically forbade guests from refusing what the hosts offered, be it drinks, food, or even themselves.
A refusal would offend the hosts, and only a present with equal value to what they had offered could soothe that feeling. That tradition had often created problems among the various tribes, and it became even harder to apply once the humans joined the political scene.
The Niqols had stopped applying that custom for a few decades by then, but it was hard to get rid of instincts inherited by parents or older members of the tribes. Many aliens from the older generations still felt offended if guests decided to refuse their offerings, and Yeza could easily do the same.
The recruits didn't have anything to offer back, so they could only accept everything Ambassador Yeza threw at them and hope. George and the others were mainly worried about getting drunk or forced to eat something that their human tastes found disgusting, but Khan's fears involved far different topics.
'She can't offer herself to me, can she?' Khan wondered as the soft fabric of the carpets that covered the staircase prevented his steps from releasing noises. 'I'm only a slightly famous no one. Her interest in me shouldn't be too deep.'
Everyone had warned Khan about Yeza. The ambassador had never once hesitated to use her beauty as a weapon, and the constant attention that she naturally attracted had made her quite lascivious. Liiza had even revealed that her mother actually held back often because her position among the Niqols was too important.
Yeza couldn't sell herself cheap, and Khan had built his hopes on that approach. Doku wanted him to play his cards right, but he planned to do the very opposite. Khan would show how he was nothing more than a recruit so that Yeza wouldn't value him enough to offer herself to him.
The upper floors of the palace featured rooms with different purposes. Yeza led the recruits through a few vast libraries, training areas, indoor gardens, guest rooms, multiple lounges, and far more. The insides of the palace were immense. It seemed that an entire army could live inside it.
The tour even led the recruits toward some structures that they had only imagined after witnessing the various functions that mana could obtain inside the Niqols' buildings. Ambassador Yeza allowed them to take glimpses of the vast halls meant to regulate specific purposes the azure symbols spread throughout the region featured. She even added short explanations without forgetting to add sweetness to her voice.
The structures meant to handle those functions always had the shape of large black cubes that could be as tall as a grown-up man. Each hall or area that regulated a specific purpose of the azure symbols in the region featured many of them, and the Niqols seemed able to activate them through their communicators. Yeza didn't explain how they could affect the distant areas, but Khan guessed that the underground tunnels had something to do with it.
"Drinks!" Yeza exclaimed when Niqols who weren't wearing white robes reached the group. "Finally."
Those Niqols seemed to work as servants or butlers. They carried many wooden cups filled with a liquid that made Khan curse internally. They had the same booze that the aliens patrolling the village had shared with the humans during the crisis.
"Is it too strong for you?" Yeza asked when she saw that the recruits hesitated to grab one of the cups.
Yeza's voice broke toward the end of her question. Her acting was so good that the recruits felt terrible about putting her in that situation. Even Khan couldn't help but experience a slight ache in his chest when he saw the woman's worried face.
'She would become queen of the Slums in a single day!' Khan cursed in his mind before joining the recruits who didn't hesitate to leap toward the trays with the wooden cups.
Yeza made sure to exchange the traditional Niqols' toast with each recruit, and Khan vaguely felt that she had decided to make the exchange of gazes with him last slightly longer. Having such strong drinks in the morning made the humans' stomachs twist, but none of them dared to show displeased expressions.
The pure smile that Yeza showed at the sight of that scene made the recruits instantly feel better. Brandon and George even took another sip in the hope that they could receive some special attention, but Yeza turned to continue the tour at that point.
Khan almost forgot about the seemingly longer toast, but a few strange behaviors became evident as the tour continued. Yeza used her incredible acting experience to make the recruits drink even more. Still, Khan made sure to be in full control of his mental capabilities before confirming that something was off.
The Niqols who had remained in the group throughout the tour often glanced and shot smiles at the other recruits. Only Liiza walked on her own, a few meters from the others, but she was a special case.
Instead, Khan wasn't getting any attention. No Niqols dared to look at him, and he even tested his idea by moving among the group to fall in their line of sight. The aliens always pointed their eyes away from him in a few seconds, and they even tried to make the gesture appear natural.
The other Niqols weren't as good as Yeza. Khan could see through their pretense after repeating his tests a few times. He suddenly felt like the special target of some secret political mission. Still, the aliens didn't give him enough time to think about his situation since the transparent roof of the palace soon unfolded in their vision.
"That's it for this building," Yeza announced. "The tour is over. We'll divide ourselves into different groups and discuss various topics now. I hope you all enjoy yourselves."
The Niqols who had remained with the group started taking the recruits' hands or arms to lead them to various locations. Khan only had the time to see Liiza approaching Veronica and bringing her away before realizing that he had remained alone with Yeza.
"You haven't looked at me once during the tour," Yeza stated before covering her mouth and voicing a tempting chuckle. "Interesting."
Yeza turned and walked toward one of the corridors connected to that area, and Khan gulped before following her. He felt worried after that comment. He didn't expect her senses to be so sharp.
The Niqols led Khan in a dark room before tinkering with the menus on the walls. The azure symbols on the surfaces immediately became brighter, and everything felt warmer after a few seconds passed.
The room didn't have much. It featured the same carpets and silk artworks on the walls. A long table and a few chairs occupied its center, and a tray with different bottles and cups stood on the furniture in the corner.
Khan could glance at the mountains through one of the transparent walls of the room. That was one of the black windows seen from the outside. Its darkness appeared unable to reach that side of the glass-like material.
"You also drank less than your companions," Yeza continued while undoing her braids and messing with her hair to remove the shapes caused by her previous hairstyle.
Yeza seemed to have dropped her act, but Khan understood that she had just decided to change tactic. The Niqols approached the bottles and glanced at him from behind her shoulder before giggling and picking two clean cups.
"Come here," Yeza ordered in a sensual voice while filling the cups with the booze in the bottles nearby. "Leave your drink there."
Khan gulped again. Trying to refuse was pointless, and it would even worsen his situation. He could only play along and make sure that he didn't ruin the source of his happiness that day.
Khan placed his cup on the table and approached the other side of the room. Yeza turned when he reached her. Her timing felt unreal, even when it came to the handing of a new drink.
Yeza raised her cup, and Khan performed the iconic Niqols' toast. The new booze was strong, but something made it easy to drink it. It was slightly dense, warm, and it carried the faint taste of strawberry. Those features hid how easily the liquid could affect someone's mind.
"You have helped us a lot since your arrival on Nitis," Yeza smiled before moving closer to the window. "Do you have something to prove in the Global Army, or do you simply like the Niqols?"
"I believe both is the right answer," Khan firmly replied while walking toward her.
The two stood side by side as they watched the dark snow falling on the mountains. The scene was quite beautiful, but the darkness of Nitis' constant night didn't allow Khan to see much."
"You have even helped with the village," Yeza continued. "Your life must have been hard."
Khan didn't answer, but Yeza's words made him take another sip from his cup. He had actually promised himself not to drink anymore, but he realized what had happened only when the warm liquid ran down his throat.
'She is dangerous,' Khan reminded himself.
"The daylight is coming," Yeza eventually sighed. "Your superiors have tried to offer their help, but I've always managed to sense the presence of hidden intentions. You can't remain naïve when you are me."
Khan confirmed that the daylight had finally stopped being a secret, and he even felt glad that Yeza was spending time in her monologue. The more she focused on herself, the less she tempted him.
"Will you help my species once our world turns upside down?" Yeza asked while glancing at Khan, and he felt the need to meet her eyes.
"Of course," Khan stated in a firm tone.
Yeza showed what appeared to be an honest smile. Her hand reached his cheek, and Khan felt unable to retract his head. His body didn't want to oppose her touch.
Khan felt surprised when Yeza's fingers touched his cheek. She was warm, even warmer than a human. She caressed his face and spread that cozy feeling throughout his body.
"So young," Yeza whispered as she placed her palm on his cheek and softly pushed him toward the table, "And yet so driven. I know about your pain. Let me see it."
Yeza's hand slid over Khan's neck and reached his chest. Her fingers started to spread the opening in his robe to reveal his scar, but his hand suddenly grabbed her wrist to stop her.
Khan had to activate the mental barrier to resist Yeza. His body felt out of control, but he couldn't let her ruin his happiness. The cold and cynical mindset created by his technique made him accept that he might have to reveal his relationship with Liiza, but he kept that as his last option.
"I'm sorry, Ambassador Yeza," Khan said in the politest voice he could muster. "I have someone."
"Oh!" Yeza exclaimed before an interested smile appeared on her face. "It has been so long since someone tried to resist me. I only wanted to tease you, but you have earned my full interest now."
Yeza's hand moved quickly. It reached the edges of Khan's robe and uncovered his chest. He was still holding her wrist, but the entirety of his physical strength was unable to stop her.
Yeza revealed another surprised expression when she saw the state of Khan's chest and side. The azure scar immediately unfolded in her vision, but the various marks that filled the rest of his torso made her smile broaden. She noticed hickeys and faint scratches, and she could immediately recognize their source.
"You have a wild one," Yeza chuckled.
"She was worried about today," Khan explained.
Liiza couldn't announce her relationship to the world, and leaving signs on Khan's neck was never ideal. The meeting also worried her deeply, so she had ended up being quite rough the previous night. Not even half a day had passed since that intercourse, so Khan still carried her marks.
"Did the other students tell you something?" Yeza asked in a curious tone. "Maybe this is the job of a Niqols."
Yeza placed her warm hand on Khan's chest while speaking. She noticed how he didn't react at all at that touch, so she made her temperature drop to Niqols' levels. Khan couldn't stop his eyes from flickering when he sensed the contact he had grown used to feel.
"It is a Niqols!" Yeza giggled before placing even her other cold hand on his chest and uncovering the rest of his torso. "You are remarkable."
The cold sensations spreading from his chest made his mental walls crumble. Khan saw himself falling prey to Yeza's influence again. His grip on her wrist opened as he abandoned himself to those irresistible sensations.
"That's a good boy," Yeza whispered with her sensual voice while caressing his azure scar.
Her hands slowly returned to Khan's face. Yeza bit her lower lip before starting to bend toward him. Her captivating figure was about to descend on him, but he could only think of how Liiza made the same gesture when she felt excited.
Yeza had been honest before. She didn't plan to do anything other than teasing Khan. However, his ability to refuse her and his determination in protecting his relationship had aroused her interest.
Khan saw Yeza's lips drawing near. His body wanted to dive on her, but his mind still worked properly. He could understand what was happening, and all his thoughts ended up converging toward Liiza.
A simple kiss would be enough to end the reason behind his happiness. Lying about it wouldn't help either since Liiza would hate Khan even more for that. Yeza was a sensitive topic for Liiza, and she would never forgive him for cheating, even when he couldn't control his actions. Her memories of her ruined family would never allow her to justify Khan even if her rational mind understood that he was innocent.
Khan felt able to activate the mental barrier again, but that technique would last for less than a second with all that tempting coldness spreading from his face. He needed slightly more to escape from that situation, but he had no idea how to stretch that time.
Leather that Khan wasn't used to touching ended up in his left hand while he struggled to raise his arms. He had started to carry the null-grade bunt knife everywhere he went in the last period since flying back to the academy when he was in the marsh took too long.
Khan didn't need to think. He didn't even need to consider the nature of his actions. He wanted to protect his happiness at all costs. His pain didn't matter.
Yeza closed her eyes when she was about to kiss Khan, but he disappeared before their lips could touch. She frowned while turning toward the other side of the room. Her senses had never lost track of him, but she remained surprised and confused anyway.
Khan had his back on the wall. Sweat fell everywhere from his skin as he breathed roughly. Still, his most striking feature was the long knife stabbed on his left thigh. The blood that came out of his injury quickly tainted his white robe and created an expanding red spot.
