“...Their eldest daughter. She happened to show uncommonly early signs of development,” her eyes went cold, “They said she didn’t talk until 7, but once she did, she had perfect speech. Even earlier than that, she seemed to have had a flawless manner to her acting, as if she was an adult already. The girl had always been always smarter than any usual child could be. If the stories they shared were real, then it is suspiciously so.”

He thought of her bearing again, regretting having spared so little time with her and regretting even more taking it easy with the second Thatcher.

“Is she a Devil’s spawn? Or perhaps, she has a Fae bloodline?”

“... Or she could have been blessed by a God or even have awoken an unknown bloodline of Something from the Sandilands. It is impossible to know,” she stared into his eyes, “What you should ponder as for now, is that we wouldn’t know that if I had not had the willingness to further question them. And if I didn’t, then certainly some less favorable Dukes and Duchess from the Council would have done so.”

He winced. Some of those in the seven seatings were on his sister’s side. And… he might have acted rashly out of frustration, but he wasn’t unaware enough to be ignorant of the situation: The Council had agreed to support his marriage because his life was at stake, but they, unanimously, “kindly” asked to be present in the process, hence their presence in the Thatchers' interrogation. He supposed that if his mother had not acted quickly on moving them to a place of her choosing, further tying them to her and allowing her to closely watch who and what approached them, then it wouldn’t take long for someone to try to either do the same or… Use some other means to win their favor while they weren’t looking.

“I understand, Mother,” he bowed his head and the Queen just acknowledged his silent apology with a nod. It was usually like that with her. He remained quiet just a moment more before continuing, “What about the other girls? Is there something of interest coming from them?”

“Not much, though hiding any anomaly could have been an effort from the eldest one. It seems like they trusted much, if not all of the younger ones’ raising to her.”

“I doubt it,” Cian said, shaking his head. She might’ve really taken the role of the caretaker, but the one scheming for others was definitely not her.

The Queen studied his face.

“... Is that so?” she smiled warmly again, “And what did you think of them?”

Oh. Cian knew of this smile. The satisfaction of her tone and the warm energy surrounding her was all too familiar to the Prince. He watched her with careful eyes while suspicion grew in his heart: Did she single out the girls from their parents for him to have a chance to oversee them while she handled the other two?

Again, the frustration… But he tried to ignore it as he answered her question.

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“The last one is much younger than what was said. It will take at least four or five years for her to mature into womanhood.”

“It is no problem. We have many options before having to pick her… and the time would allow us to shape her into someone appropriate to her role.”

Cian agreed to her as he had thought the same.

“The third one is a no. She is already old enough, but…” the Queen lifted her eyebrows, questioning, “ Well, you will see it for yourself once you meet them. She is not fit for any of it, I would say.”

The Queen only nodded, respecting his projection. Knowing her the way he did, Cian did not doubt The Queen would hold him to his word.

“The fourth one does seem to like to be by herself, they didn’t lie about that, but I suspect she will pose great opposition to whatever is imposed on her. She seems to be one that is entitled, opinionated, and too curious for their own good. Not a very good match if I dare say so.”

“We can bend her over time. One just has to be patient and move with intention.”

That he doubted, but he continued nonetheless.

“The oldest is good. Now that I ponder about it, it’s indeed suspiciously so: she looked the perfect image of a noble already. She showed effortless manners, etiquette, and beauty, though the girl seemed to be suffering from some unfortunate blemishes on her face.”

“Is she now? All we spoke to said of her handsomeness... Perhaps we have to look further into it. Did you like her?”

“We had little interaction. She seemed very keen on caring for the youngest one.”

When Cian looked at her again, his mother had a flash of a calculating look to her, but as soon as it came it vanished.

“And the second one? From what they shared, she is a reasonable pick too, yes?”

They were almost there now, entering the Castle. They were almost there and Cian considered telling her it all, about her strange reactions and her strong head and her willful opinions, and her surprising actions. What would his mother do with the information that she exerted incredible control over all of her sisters, the oldest included? What would his mother do if she knew that they all listened to her like sheep to a shepherd?

He didn’t have to think long to reach a conclusion. She would seize her just like she seized control of this whole situation after he had told her about the Prophecy.

This time, he was sure that his eyes were the ones that flashed a calculating light. The Prince knew his mother The Queen wanted what was best for him. He knew that she wanted him to survive and thrive. But part of him still rebelled. Part of him remained restless to the one that so very easily took away his ability to choose and move for himself, taking his judgment for granted even after he was long past his childhood and teen years.

And so, if she would play smarter than him, then he should at least try to match it up, no?

“She isn’t as good as the oldest, but the girl sure seems more favorable to marriage. She kept trying to impress me at any chance she got!” The Prince covered.

And with that, no matter what her informants were to tell of the meeting and how long they spent together, there would be no further speculations.

The Queen hummed, thoughtful.

“I imagine that with her age, she is eager for a suitor, and much more so if it is a Prince.”

And he smiled while allowing her to continue thinking so as they entered the Castle, delaying any more conversation for later. He would have to be firm in his next move to recruit the second girl before his mother's sharp eyes could perceive her value and as they stepped onto the smooth and cold polished floor of their home, the Prince's mind worked fast.