El’s teary eyes made Lai grimace awkwardly.
“It’s just a scrape. Some medicine, and I’ll be fine. Don’t worry, El,” Lai said soothingly.
I settled El onto the sofa, and Lai sat beside her, still holding her hand.
“Really okay?” El asked.
“Yes, medicine will fix it.”
“Good,” El nodded, finally reassured.
Lai puffed out their cheeks, grumbling, “See? I told you I’m fine.”
“But you’re a liar,” El shot back.
“When did I lie?”
“You always say you’re fine! Last time, you broke your leg and still said that. You’re a dummy!”
El’s voice rose, indignant. Lai scratched their cheek, looking sheepish.
When did these two get so close?
“Let’s stop there. Let me see the wound,” Anasha interjected, returning with medicine.
After inspecting Lai’s arm, she muttered, “Good, it won’t scar.”
Gently applying the ointment, she smiled. “Thanks for protecting El, Lai.”
Lai’s face flushed with shy embarrassment.
“Now that I think about it, Bee, you’ve met Lai before, haven’t you?” Anasha asked.
“Yes, I didn’t know they were here,” I replied.
“It seemed risky for Lai to stay at the guild. Plus, your advice and El needing a playmate led me to bring them to the count’s estate,” Anasha explained.
Everyone at the Pison estate, down to the lowliest maid, was either loyal to House Pison or tied to the guild. It was a safe haven for Lai’s secret.
“They’re studying hard with El to enter the academy,” Anasha added.
I recalled Lai’s promise: *“I want to become a noble to protect Bee.”*
Lai still held El’s hand tightly, the image of them diving to save her flashing in my mind.
“So El is your Bee,” I said.
“W-Well…” Lai stammered, their face reddening as they glanced between El and me.
“Teasing, Bee?” Anasha chuckled.
“Am I?” I shrugged nonchalantly, prompting another laugh from her.
Lai, embarrassed, kicked the floor, head bowed.
“My name’s El, not Bee,” El said, tilting her head in confusion.
“Bee is Bee, right?”
Her innocent question turned Lai’s face as red as a roasted sweet potato.
“El, names don’t matter. What’s important is that Lai wants to protect you,” I said.
“I don’t get it, Bee,” El replied.
“You’ll understand when you’re older.”
I patted her small head. El giggled, snuggling into my arms, her sweet scent tickling my nose.
I glanced at Lai, meeting their orange eyes. “Keep your promise.”
Lai’s wide eyes narrowed with a determined nod, their stubborn lips reflecting their resolve.
A child, and an Inayari half-blood at that—how much could Lai truly protect El? But knowing someone would be there to comfort a wounded El in the future felt reassuring.
El, like Rant, would struggle to fit into high society after her coming-of-age ceremony. Its exclusivity would make her mother’s origins and blindness a liability.
Of course, I wouldn’t stand idly by while they suffered. There was much to prepare before their social debut.
“Lady Daysha awaits,” the butler announced.
I froze mid-motion, shedding my coat.
“What?”
“She requests an audience with you, my lady.”
“Why?”
My sharp tone drew a puzzled look from the butler. Ignoring him, I frowned.
“There was no prior notice.”
“She arrived shortly after you left. I informed her you were out, but…”
“She forced her way in,” I finished.
Nobles typically sent letters or messengers to arrange visits. Daysha’s unannounced arrival was blatantly rude.
Was Duke Daysha this discourteous?
I racked my memory, but nothing specific surfaced. Back then, he was merely her hated father—nothing more, nothing less.
“Her purpose?”
“She said she’d speak once she met you.”
I couldn’t fathom why he’d seek me out instead of Father. I had no desire to meet him, but no valid reason to refuse a guest at our doorstep.
“I’ll come down once I’m ready. Tell her to wait,” I said with a sigh.
The butler left, and maids began helping me change. A heavy unease settled in my chest.
“Pleased to meet you, Duke Daysha. I’m Beeonne Rossa Eliant,” I said, entering the parlor.
“A pleasure, Lady Eliant,” he replied, rising from the sofa.
His robust physique belied his age, his pale skin stood out among the tanned westerners, and his golden eyes—eerily like Sys’s—matched my memory perfectly.
“First, I apologize for visiting unannounced.”
“Sit. I trust it’s urgent enough to warrant such rudeness,” I said coolly.
His eyes glinted with amusement. Sitting, he openly studied me. We sized each other up in silence as the butler served tea and withdrew.
“Aren’t you curious why I’m here?” he asked, once his teacup was half-empty.
I set my cup down, meeting his gaze. “Speak.”
His lips curved into an intrigued smile.
“Do you already guess what I’ll say?”
“Hardly.”
“Interesting.”
He crossed his legs, leaning back as if at home, fingers interlaced on his knee. The sense of being a guest in my own house grated on me.
I’d never faced him like this, not even back then. His visit was unprecedented, his intentions unclear. The deviation from my memories unsettled me.
This isn’t like the First Consort.
Her downfall was my doing—I provoked her, shifted the board. But this was different.
Did he notice my investigation?
Even back then, aside from her, I had no real connection to him. Now, having only briefly crossed paths with his daughter, there was even less.
After the palace meeting, my role as the guild’s true head was exposed. Despite my covert moves, I couldn’t be sure he hadn’t noticed.
*If he detected the guild’s surveillance and came to confront me…*
That seemed the only plausible reason.
“I hear my daughter caused you trouble,” he said.
“I don’t follow,” I replied cautiously, his words catching me off guard.
“She grew up without a mother, so she’s unfamiliar with noble etiquette. I’ve been too busy to attend to her education.”
“…”
“She seems to have gotten quite a scolding from you.”
“You’re mistaken.”
“Am I?”
He smiled faintly, unperturbed. I lifted my teacup, swallowing the last of the tea.
“I didn’t scold your daughter, but her maids, who forgot their place and acted recklessly. I merely corrected their behavior.”
“A misunderstanding, then,” he murmured, chuckling to himself.
The tea in my mouth had cooled to lukewarm. With a gesture, the butler swiftly approached, replacing it with steaming hot tea. The duke’s cup, barely touched, must have cooled as well.
As the butler reached to swap his cup, the duke raised a hand to stop him.
“I’ll pass. Hot tea isn’t to my taste.”
“Shall I bring something cold?”
“That would be appreciated.”
“Please wait a moment.”
The butler bowed to the duke, then signaled a waiting maid. She hurried out of the parlor, and the butler stepped back.
“As expected of a noble house—your servants are impeccable,” the duke remarked.
“You flatter us,” I replied.
“So, I have a favor to ask of you, Lady Eliant.”
He straightened from his relaxed posture, leaning toward me.
“I’d like you to help with my daughter’s etiquette training.”
