Adelinde could’ve sworn the heavy rains came earlier and earlier—either that, or this year just happened to be when it decided to rain the most. Every other day seemed to be moderate or heavy rain, even into July. The weather brightened up for Tara’s birthday, at least, even if she didn’t leave the house.

A few days later was no exception to the pattern; the day even started with a thunderstorm early in the morning, albeit one that Rene and Matteo both slept through. Adelinde woke up to it—as did Tara, since she didn’t sleep as deeply as other omyn. The two sat together in the kitchen until the storm passed; Adelinde oddly cherished it. Other parents would find it bothersome if their children asked for company during a storm, but more often than not Adelinde didn’t mind; she considered it to be one of the essential experiences of being a parent, in a way, but it rarely came up.

Neither one went back to sleep, ultimately staying there until Rene came down to offer half-joking apology and make breakfast. The rain continued afterwards.

A friend of Matteo’s came early to announce that whatever they had planned for the day needed to be canceled, and Rene left for work as per usual despite the downpour. It led to one of the rare times where Adelinde, Matteo, and Tara were all in the same room, albeit for different reasons; Tara needed the piano’s noise to help calm her anxieties from the rain, and Matteo admitted that he saw no purpose in sitting in his room if he could be with people instead.

There were more occasions when it was just Adelinde with Tara or Matteo, but usually not both unless Rene was there as well. No one spoke, but…she appreciated it. She didn’t have many chances to experiment with music for both of them, whether or not they noticed.

The only interruption came when someone knocked on the door. Matteo perked up while Tara let out a quiet whimper.

“Can I see if that’s a friend?” Matteo asked, looking at Adelinde. “They said they might come back if things changed.”

She remembered her conversation with Rene a few days prior. She honestly couldn’t claim to have actually processed all of the information given to her, but she would rather be safe than sorry—for now, at least, right after Elina’s visit. Tara seemed to expect the worst; it could be done for her peace of mind, if nothing else.

“I can get it,” Adelinde said. “Could you play on the piano for Tara in the meantime? I’ll call you out if it’s a friend.”

“Honestly don’t know who it would be if it wasn’t,” Matteo admitted. “Random salespeople don’t come to the out-of-the-way houses and most people we know aren’t weird enough to go out in the rain.”

Despite the partial protest, he closed the book he was reading and sat it on the chair once he stood up. Adelinde cast him a thankful smile before leaving to see who knocked.

A bit as she expected, when she opened the door she saw Lord Dazuz. She finally understood why he bothered her so much—he couldn’t be trusted, because he believed in something that should never exist. Knowing the cause didn’t encourage her to push aside that emotion, however.

If anything, seeing him now—scowling, apparently expecting someone else—made that anxiety worse. She didn’t have as much practice hiding it as she used to, and she worried it showed.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

“Do you need anything?”

“I want to speak with your wife,” Lord Dazuz said simply.

“Rene is at work at the moment.”

He let out a kind of scoff. “Fine, then. What about your son and that girl?”

“They are at home,” Adelinde replied, trying to keep her tone even, “But I’m hesitant to let you in. The floors get slippery if one comes inside with wet shoes, and it’s difficult to clean.”

“What if they came here to speak with me? I just want to see them.”

“I have a hard time believing that. You’re nothing more to a stranger to them—neither would be comfortable.”

Lord Dazuz gave her a smile. She wondered if he thought she couldn’t see the coldness in it.

“I heard the prince enjoyed looking into legends,” he explained. “I just want to tell him a story.”

She said it before she could question whether or not she should.

“The same story you told Rene, I assume? The one Aurik tried to kill for?”

He paused for a moment, then laughed. He took a single step away from the door.

“I never expected her to actually tell you,” Lord Dazuz admitted once his apparent amusement at the idea died. Any friendliness he had feigned earlier fell, revealing a mix of tiredness and dark interest. “For what it’s worth, I did warn Aurik Qrian against doing anything to you—and I told Rene not to follow his example. Although I do wonder if Rene is truly working, or if you just decided you had enough of her.”

“I’ve certainly had enough of you,” Adelinde replied, frowning. “So could you leave, please? Otherwise, I’m fully capable of reporting you for trespassing.”

“I can’t say I’m afraid of any threat you give me.”

Adelinde managed her own cold smile—the kind she only wore when she used to argue with difficult council members.

“One unlawful act can lead to a few others being uncovered. I would be interested to see if you could win against me if you were sent to court; trespassing in your case could lead to accusations of ill intent.”

He merely scowled at her, more annoyed than fazed. Adelinde prepared to close the door when she noticed Rene coming—at a normal pace, at first, then a bit quicker when she saw Lord Dazuz. The man himself turned around to see what caught Adelinde’s interest, albeit stepping away of the door when Rene came close enough.

“I told you to stay away,” Rene said. Her voice held a certain quality Adelinde hadn’t heard from her—it almost sounded venomous. She never used that tone around her family.

Lord Dazuz took another step back, looking between both of them before keeping his gaze on Rene.

“Your wife and I were only having a discussion.” The dark look in his eyes betrayed the kind way he said it. “May I see your stepson or daughter for a moment?”

“No,” Rene replied bluntly. “Did Elina not tell you? Stay away from my kids. I’ll say it however much I need for it to stick.”

He let out a sigh, shaking his head.

“Fine. I’ll leave.”

He walked away without any further protests, albeit disgruntled. Rene watched him go for a moment before giving Adelinde a worried look.

“He didn’t try to come inside, did he?”

“No,” Adelinde replied. “He stood a good enough distance away, as well.”

“That’s reassuring, at least.” Rene came close enough to offer a light kiss, then pulled away with a smile. Nothing remained of the look she gave Lord Dazuz. “Anyway, I’m free for the rest of the day. Do you and the kids have lunch covered?”

“Not really,” Adelinde admitted, her uneasiness from the previous conversation fading. “Although I can’t speak for Matteo and Tara.”

“I can ask them,” Rene decided.

Adelinde stepped aside to let Rene come in, then went back to the music room to continue playing on the piano. Rene lingered near the entrance of the room to entertain some conversation before opting to make them something simple to eat.