Something about Rene leaving just…triggered a kind of fear for her. Adelinde couldn’t entirely tell what the cause was—if it was because she remembered Aurik, or if it was how Rene hadn’t really contacted her family since she moved into the palace, or even the difference between Rene’s expression before and after she talked to her father.

She didn’t know if she was justified or overreacting, assuring herself that Rene did care but questioning if that care meant hiding something. For better or worse, Rene had a tendency to express herself fairly clearly—with a smile or a frown, through her words, by her eyes—without meaning to. Just as Rene must be learning how to recognize what each note meant whenever Adelinde idly played, Adelinde learned at the same pace how to read Rene’s looks. It came a bit too naturally for one initially scared that anyone might hide some kind of ill will behind a smile.

In a sense, she decided it could very well be more that whatever Rene isn’t telling her might hurt someone—emotionally or physically—rather than the fact Rene kept something to herself. She didn’t want to turn a blind eye if she could see something was wrong but wasn’t told what it was.

Adelinde somehow managed to only ramble off vague concerns to Mark once or twice over the few days Rene was gone, otherwise spending time with Matteo as usual and sitting in Mark’s office whenever Matteo chose to play with a caretaker or a friend instead.

She went to her room at some point to gather a score book to take with her to the music district, Matteo half-demanding to watch her play with other people, interrupted by a gentle knock on the doorframe. Rene stood there, offering a little smile.

“I’m back,” she said kindly.

In return, Adelinde let out a small laugh and went over to give Rene a light kiss. When she pulled away, she took an extra step back just to observe her. A portion of her concerns did return after a moment.

“Did something happen to your hand?”

Rene’s expression changed for a second, but she still nodded. “It’s just a cut. Nothing much.”

“Can I see it?”

She hesitated, then offered her hand. Adelinde gently took it, unwrapping the bandages to reveal a cut that was still red but wasn’t bleeding. A light touch made Rene wince, but otherwise she didn’t comment.

Adelinde looked up at her again.

“Was there trouble on the way there, or..?”

Rene pulled her hand back and slightly turned away, wrapping the cut again.

“A little fight broke out, nothing major.”

She held on to a bit of skepticism, recalling some half-learned things Mark showed her in her earliest trips outside after Aurik died. Cutting the outside of the hand was one thing—cutting the palm was a bit more difficult unless you had a hold on that person. It could keep them from taking a weapon against you, but at that point you had a good position to stab pretty much any other area that could more easily limit whoever you were trying to stab.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

Adelinde moved so she stood in front of Rene and she continued to look in some other direction, the process repeated throughout the conversation.

“Is everything all right?” Adelinde asked, back to worrying. “You’re avoiding eye contact again—you don’t look well, either.”

“Just a migraine. I’m fine.”

“There is some pain medication if you need it; it’s in the kitchen in one of the corner cabinets.”

“I know. Staying in one place will help.”

“I promised to go into town with Matteo—we can catch up then.”

“There isn’t much to say; I left, did what I had to, then came back.”

“I can read expressions—I know there’s more to it than that.”

“It’s not—”

They reached a point where Adelinde stood near the wall outside her room, Rene needing to look at her in order to look away again. She met Adelinde’s gaze for a second and tensed, giving a familiar mixture of regret and guilt still mingling with love and determination that Adelinde thought she saw the last of—the particular look common after she came back from running errands for Lord Dazuz.

“Rene,” Adelinde said firmly. “You’re scaring me.”

She winced. “I… I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize just…don’t act like everything is normal when your look says it isn’t,” Adelinde maintained. Very gently, she reached to brush Rene’s cheek. “I’d like to know if there’s something wrong—I might not be able to do anything, but it’s better than keeping it to yourself.”

Rene still hesitated, then offered an almost-genuine smile.

“What’s worrying you?” she asked quietly.

Adelinde took a few seconds to decide how to best phrase it, the reasons themselves only really making sense to her as she said them.

“A while ago—last year, before you took me out of San Asari for my birthday—you had gone out to Eyset for something Lord Dazuz needed. When you came back, you said that he had a role for you that you didn’t want anymore; you seemed happier than you were before after moving in. The Dazuz family hasn’t even tried to contact you since then, so…”

She lowered her hand, and Rene didn’t force her gaze away.

“I was…just a bit concerned the family might have sent you out just to hurt you,” Adelinde finally said. “You don’t really say much about them, and there is a history of omyn getting adopted just for their powers or to stay in close reach of a certain family for later marriage purposes. Considering how you acted when you left—hesitant, uncertain—I didn’t know if you would be safe.”

Rene’s guilt faded into a kinder smile, holding some relief instead.

“The cut was from Lord Dazuz,” Rene admitted, “But that’s the only time he’s ever actually hurt me. Being with the family wasn’t ideal, but I promise that was the last time I’ll do anything with them—so, hopefully, the last time I worry you.”

She came closer to give Adelinde a kiss, which managed to calm the rest of her fears.

“I still appreciate the concern, though. Thank you for that.”