Oddly enough, Rene actually assumed she had seen most of the expressions Adelinde could bear in the little over a year and a half of knowing her. The admiration—respect to some extent—she had while she watched the scenery change outside the train window definitely proved her wrong.

No trains ran to Eyset—not in the timeframe they needed, at least, without several train switches—so they opted to go to Adelinde’s chosen location. Mark didn’t hesitate quite as much as Rene expected when Adelinde mentioned it to him; if anything, he cared more that Adelinde was spending some time away from Matteo than who she was going with, although Rene did receive a mostly-joking warning glare.

The town itself had a cozier atmosphere than San Asari and an immediately stronger sense of community than Eyset did. For the most part, Rene just followed behind Adelinde as she marveled at the earliest changes of fall.

They paid for a room once they got there, but spent a majority of the day following Adelinde’s whims. Rene didn’t mind—honestly, she found more enjoyment just watching Adelinde’s expressions change. She didn’t have to look at that smile and fear it would fall in the next second.

After eating lunch, Adelinde opted to give Rene an official tour instead of just wandering. She pointed out each important building like she’d been there the day before, only getting mixed up if something happened to have moved in the time since. Most of the townsfolk nodded some kind of greeting as they passed, receiving a smile or nod in return from the couple.

The last stop on the tour was a small garden attached to an older house near the edge of town. Adelinde glanced back at Rene and smiled.

“This is where my grandparents lived,” she explained. “Only my grandmother was still alive when my mother passed away; as the last aside from Mark and I and some cousins, she just requested that the house honor Mother, to some extent. We should be able to go in.”

Rene nodded, still letting Adelinde lead. Upon entering the house, Adelinde immediately smiled with some kind of nostalgia. The place seemed relatively maintained, serving as a kind of museum for the town. Adelinde walked ahead of her to glance through the pictures hung up on the wall, stopping in front of one and gesturing Rene over.

The picture in question had an impatient-looking young girl standing alongside her parents and a boy two or three years older than her.

“You?” Rene guessed, giving her an amused look.

“I hated standing there for a picture,” Adelinde replied, laughing a bit. “You had to stand there for a minute, maybe two, completely still or someone would inevitably demand a retake. I still don’t have the patience now and they get done much quicker.”

She took a step to the right and nodded at another photo.

“This is the cousins. They typically came earlier in the summer, so we didn’t meet much. There were more consistent though—kept coming after we stopped. And there should be…”

She turned around, observing the photos on the opposite wall, pointing to another photo with a woman playing a violin.

“That’s Mother. The towns in the area held small music competitions—she was one of the best violinists. She gave that up when she moved to San Asari, but even back then I could tell she was skilled by the way she played. While she was teaching me, sometimes she would forget I was still a child—she tried to introduce more complex sounds and combinations than I was capable of at the time.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

Rene simply smiled, noticing Adelinde’s fond look and admiring it. Adelinde continued to wander, looking at each photo hung up or each little trophy to see if she could recognize the faces or the names.

“Was it nice coming here as you grew up?” Rene asked curiously.

“It was definitely fun, if nothing else,” Adelinde replied, looking back to smile. “When I was especially young—five, maybe six, I can barely remember—I had a deal with Mark: he would rule Dakari, I would come back here and stay with our grandparents. Ultimately, Mark decided he wasn’t fit for it—he doesn’t have the right mindset to raise children, although he would spoil them given the chance. I always wanted a family—a spouse, two or four children, each one playing a different musical instrument—so Father asked me to take on the role instead.”

“I’d say Mark’s doing a nice job of it now,” Rene noted. “He’s been the regent since Matteo was born, hasn’t he?”

Adelinde nodded. “I could argue and sign documents well enough behind a closed door, but I couldn’t attend any of the meetings. A few days after Aurik died I let Mark take over as a regent until I recovered.”

“Think you’ll be going back to it soon?”

She’s grown a lot since they first met, at least; Rene could barely notice the signs of the woman who just barely shook her hand, terrified but trying her best to overcome it.

Adelinde seemed to realize that as well, pausing for a second.

“…I keep forgetting to mention it,” Adelinde admitted, slowly walking back over to Rene. “When he thinks I’m ready and he gets tired of it, I know he’ll start the conversation. At the moment, while I should be capable of it, I think I would prefer to stay like this, spending time with Matteo.”

She reached Rene and gave her a kiss. Rene accepted and returned it, smiling back at Adelinde when she pulled away.

“Spending time with you. I don’t want to miss any moments in Matteo’s growth, don’t want to drift away from love without meaning to because I have to stay available for the council to meet with—in that sense, while I’m the one my father chose, I can’t say I’m the best suited for it either.”

They spent a few seconds like that, then Adelinde stepped back and broke the silence.

“Do you want to see the garden?”

“Lead the way,” Rene said kindly.

Adelinde took her hand and guided her outside, marveling at the area a bit more than she had inside. Rene wondered if it happened to be added or expanded on after Adelinde last came. They walked over to a bench in one corner and sat down, just observing the flowers and the first few leave changes of the season.

After another minute, Adelinde spoke up.

“…I’ve said a lot about my family. I might be able to guess, but it’s about time I ask.” She looked over at Rene, half curious but half cautious. “What about you?”

The question did catch her off-guard a bit, but honesty came easier than she expected.

“I mean, can’t say I had one growing up; living in the Dazuz mansion wasn’t much better. Started with being on my own, then I had Hannah, then she left and I might as well have been alone.”

“Let me put it this way, then.” Adelinde shifted her position so she was mostly facing Rene. She seemed determined to mention it, even if she also had a certain kind of caution as well. “If we got married and when Matteo’s…let’s say five or six—would you be willing to raise a second child?”

“I have a feeling I’d be a horrible parent,” Rene admitted. “I mean, sure, I’m good with Matteo, but I’m not the one who’s mainly taking care of him.”

She honestly hadn’t thought of it; between only falling in love with women and not having a ton of good family experiences, she assumed it wouldn’t happen.

Adelinde seemed to notice and, fortunately, gave a little nod as understanding.

“A definite choice can wait,” she decided kindly. With a joking smile, she said, “I could very well change my mind depending on how Matteo grows up. I just wanted to see what you thought; nothing has to be confirmed for now. There’s plenty of time until then.”

Rene gave her a light kiss.

“I’ll mull it over,” she promised.

“That’s all I ask. Thank you.”