One day before the ball.

The duke.

Afternoon

In the underground training room.

I flipped my pocket watch close as I sat on the hard floor.

Almost time.

I breathed slowly, calming my body with a piece of paper lying in my hand. Circles turned and I felt my chest hum. Qi flowed through my circle and into my hand and the paper hovered an inch above my palm. Master Zhi watched me with observing eyes glinting with qi as she studied me.

“Easy does it,” I said to myself, with beads of sweat dripping down my forehead. I had spent an hour focusing, making sure I didn't create a second hurricane. But my control was lacking. Calm as it may be at times, the wind is unruly and needs time to master properly.

I revved my circle a little faster and the paper flew to the ceiling. “Damn it…”

“Better luck next time,” said Vanessa. Crosslegged on the floor in front of me in her training uniform, her left eye was open.

“You're supposed to be meditating.” I took a piece of paper from a pile and placed it on my palm.

“I can’t when I get to see your hair fly about all funny-like.” Vanessa giggled, stood up, and walked behind me. “Let me tie it back for you.”

“Thanks.” I tried to concentrate on the floating paper. “How’s your training?” I asked.

“About to forge a second circle.”

“That’s great!” A gush blew the paper away from my excitement.

“Ehh…I would’ve been a third circle if I didn't have this ball to manage. Thank you for that, by the way. I really like being busy.”

“No problem.” I laughed as she tightened my hair.

Vanessa dropped to the ground next to me. Her face was troubled. The stress showed signs on her beautiful face. “Food menus, flowers, wine… so much to prepare. Such much… I need to make sure it goes well.”

“Take a day off.”

She turned to me. “But the ball-”

“I will handle everything. Take today and tomorrow off.”

“Why…”

I shrug. I can’t tell her about the surprise. “I will take it from where you left off.”

My wife held my hand and my third paper was cut to pieces by Gale.

“Hey, Lovebirds! No flirting in training,” shouted Master Zhi from the other side of the training room. Her hand smoked with white energy as she messaged my brother's bare stomach.

“Yeah. Keep that shit in the bedroom, will you!” Joshua added.

I flapped my hand at them. “Yeah, yeah.” I leaned towards Vanessa and whispered. “Go to the courtyard at 7 pm.” I quickly give a her a kiss on the cheek and bolted of the ground.

“Where are you going? What for?!”

I turned back, smiling as I ran to the stairs. “To meet a former staff and a gift.”

Underground jail.

The duke.

Stink surrounded me. It filled my nose until I thought I couldn’t breathe. A good punishment for those who wrong me.

I will expect a new resident here in these smelly halls. But my recent excursion has reminded me to pick my battles. A fourth circle against a sixth was enough of a challenge. But to fight another duchy—that is a whole different match. If I want to bring her down here, I will need to be prepared. I will need to plan for all eventualities. I will have to get stronger. Let's hope my brother can hold her back from leaving.

I strutted down the corridor of steel bars strong enough to stop a fourth circle and I saw a auburn-haired maid waiting for me. I could see a semblance of a smile on her usually prim face. I looked at the door she waited in front of at the end of the corridor. “Susan?”

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She nodded, her happiness apparent, it sparkled off her.

“Alright, stop fangirling and get to work. I need a report on your findings in the horn’s home.”

“Fangirling…? Uh, yes, Your Grace.

I pushed in and saw an elderly woman punching the lights out of a bastard.

“WHO DARES INTER- Oh! Your Grace!” She rushed to kneel and I lifted her up to give her a hug. The shocked umbra could hardly control her breath as I hugged her.

“Glad you're back and safe.” I let her go. Tears streamed down her tired face. Weeks of travel had frayed her. Her clothes barely changed from her Umbra night work garment, she looked rough. What a loyal servant.

“You have done what I have asked for and more. I will reward you handsomely.”

“Gaining your trust back is already enough for me!”

“You will be rewarded. Now leave and rest.”

A salute from the old Umbra and I am left alone with my killer. I walked over to the swollen and engorged former butler with glee.

“Hello there, Davis. Have a comfortable trip.”

The Duchess

Six in the afternoon

Nervous Hodge servants waited on the outside of a bratty girl's door. Scared by my sudden appearance, they moved out of the way with the respect they had always forgone in the past. My eyes peered at them with disgust and I shooed them away. I knocked on the guest room.

“Leave me be, I say!”

“I will not knock a second time,” I said. Footsteps ran inside and a door opened to reveal a dishevelled girl. Dark eye bags were uncovered by her makeup. Bloodshot and swollen eyes from crying herself to sleep. Dressed in a nighty worn for many days by the smell, she covered her teeth-gnashed fingernails.

“W-what do you want!?”

“For you to be safe.” I brace myself against her smell and push into the room. Clothes scattered about, disorderly, could barely describe the room.

“Safe? Safe from what!?” She searched outside, finding no one. She sighed with ease as she slammed the door.

I sat down on her messy bed. “You have a servant sending The Horn father's words.”

The girl went grey.

“If I was still under his control, it is what I would do.”

She trembled like a bush in a storm.

“My husband does not know.”

“How can you be so sure!?”

I leaned on my arms on the soft bed. “Because you are alive.”

She understood.

“I want to keep it that way.”

“Why!? Out of anyone in this building, why would you… How I have treated you…”

I chuckled. “So you are self-aware?

She bent her head down in shame and I chuckled again.

“Your anger towards me was…understandable. I threaten your peaceful family life. An abnormality to be cleansed. A blight on your family's name and you’re father's reputation. Those are the worries of a child. But we have both grown up. Haven’t we?”

Caroline slowly nodded whilst twiddling her chipped fingers.

I resumed. “My anger. My rage at you had transformed into understanding. Understanding that you were the best to me in the family.” I lied.

“I had come to understand that you have the potential to be much better than those creeps you call brothers.” I lied some more and I stood up to walk to my sister. I rubbed the sides of her arms to calm her down.

“With you, I see hope. Hope the Hodges can change.”

No longer trembling, she looked directly into my eyes.

“I want you to go back to Hamber. My husband may not know as of now. But he has his terrible ways of figuring things out.”

“But Father!!-”

I brought her close, feeling her heart beat out of control. “He won't let his favourite daughter die here,” I declared.

Caroline swallowed and spoke. “How? How do I leave?”

I smiled. “I have a friend.”

The Duchess

Leaving Caroline's room.

Quarter past seven in the afternoon

Talking to her always gave me a headache. It was like talking to a toddler in the body of a woman in her late twenties. But that makes her just as easy to manipulate. Soon she will packed and ready to leave with Countess Trak and our counterattack will begin.

My husband walked down with long legs extending in haste. His determined face gleamed with happiness at the sight of me and he ran like a happy dog to me.

“What the hell have you been!?” He looked behind me. “Ugh, that girl. I guess the plan is going forward.”

“This is my sister; it was always going to work.”

“Hah, true! Wait! You late.” Tarion pulled me by the arm. If it wasn’t for my mana, my arm would have dislocated. I laughed while running with the inelegant fool down many a corridor and hall. After a few minutes of jogging, we reached the courtyard. The sky turned from orange to dark purple, and stars pierced with their holy light in the clear sky. In the middle. Tarion pulled me further.

“Over here!”

By the castle wall, a middle-aged woman watched the city below. I froze midstep as I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing. Crow's feet were beautifully aligned on her weathered skin. Age did not detract from her loveliness. Her brown hair flowed with the breeze, and serenely she smiled.

“Sorry, we are late.” Tarion interweaved our fingers and, with a noble bow, paid respects.

The woman turned and her homely face exploded with joy. On her little legs, she ran to me. Giving me one the best hugs I have ever had, we cried out every feeling of longing we had for each other.

“Honoured to meet you finally, mother-in-law.”