After exchanging their greetings, Robert gestured Laureen to take a seat on the chair in front of him.

After much consideration, instead of his study where he usually arranged his meetings, he had chosen the spacious courtyard garden to meet the girl. That was also why he left it until morning. After all, that is the best time to take in the views and breath in the fresh breeze that stirred through the flowerbeds. Along with the sweet aroma of lavender, roses, peaches and lemongrass, it brought the gentle chill of fresh dew, an experience paired perfectly with warm baked sweets and the cup of steaming beverage from beyond the lands of Clover, tea.

“How has your stay been so far, miss Singhar?” he asked her.

“Quite pleasant, Sir Robert,” Laureen answered as Arakan had taught him hundreds of times throughout their journey. “I have never enjoyed myself quite as much anywhere else as I have here.”

“Flattery or not, your praise gladdens my heart, young lady.”

“Oh no, sir Robert! It isn’t flattery at all. I am merely expressing my feelings.”

Robert nodded appreciatively. No matter a poor beggar or a battle-hardened veteran, their heart would indeed be gladdened if someone praised the home they had lived in for generations.

“Do you not to miss your home then?” His teasing words brought the memory of Arakan to Laureen’s mind. She could not hold off the flush of her cheeks.

“Yes,” she answered. “Yes, indeed, I do.”

“Hmm…” noticing her reddened cheeks, Robert smiled gently. “Perhaps you have someone waiting for you back home?”

Laureen’s heart skipped a beat, but she calmed herself instantly. Of the various abilities of noblemen that she had learned from her beloved, reading other’s minds, hadn’t been one, fortunately, so she was sure lord Robert wouldn’t be able to guess it was his future son-in-law. Though she indeed held a morbid curiosity to know what he would think if he found out, she did not act upon it. So she just gave a shy nod of acknowledgement.

Robert picked up the cup of tea from the table and took a sip. “Arakan had informed me you desired to stay here because you wished to take care of my daughter, am I right?”

Laureen’s face soured somewhat. “Yes,” she nodded slowly. After locking her up, was he not ashamed to bring his daughter up like this? Well, she had planned on broaching the subject herself to test his reaction, but he had just made it easier.

“Thank you for your consideration,” Robert said before she had finished organizing the questions she wished to ask. “Both I and my daughter are grateful for your kindness. I am sure your presence should have helped her a great deal in getting better and waking up from her condition.”

“Thank you for your praise, sir Robert. I am flattered you think so highly of me. But I am just an ordinary woman. I am sure it was lady Sena’s own strength that cured her,” she replied, trying to deflect the flattery after losing her initiative.

“Well, regardless of the reason, you did take care of my daughter, and she has gotten better now, so that is all that matters.”

“Yes,”

“So as a sign of our gratitude, seeing as you are beginning to miss your home already, I have decided to help you return with an escort.”

Laureen’s eyebrows sprang up. Was he… was sir Robert thinking of sending her away now? Was it because she had tried to hinder those guards from taking Sena to the Southern wing? She had to refuse his proposal. After all, if she left, then she could never help Sena out of this situation.

“There is an escort of knights that would leave for the capital tomorrow evening. So you should make your preparations. They would escort you back to the capital safe and sound.”

She opened her mouth, but words she wanted to speak were smothered by a very crucial thought. As things stood now, could she even help Sena? She had no such power to convince sir Robert to let his daughter go. After all, as Hubrik had said, this is the private matter of house Moras. And had sir Robert been wrong? Did she not miss her home? Of course she did. Did she miss being with Arakan? There was no doubt about that, too. So why should she continue to stay here when she had no way to help? Hadn’t she done all that she could?

Also, if she went back and informed Arakan about the happenings here, he would be able to help Sena. Yes. That would be the best course of action for her.

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“As you wish, sir Robert. I will start my preparations as soon as I can,” she said with a nod.

The morning tea continued for a while longer, but any attempts at conversation from Robert’s part met with a wall of short one-word answers and silent gestures, grinding to a halt each time. And looking at the guilt-ridden face of the girl, Robert could easily surmise the reason. He sighed. She truly was a kind girl, but he could not let her interfere with her daughter.

Watching Robert leave at the end of the tea, a sudden thought sparked an idea in Laureen’s mind. “Sir Robert!” she called out.

Robert turned. “Yes, miss Singhar?”

“I was wondering…” Laureen hesitated, “I was wondering if it would be possible for you to grant a request of mine.”

Robert raised an eyebrow. “That would depend on the request, miss Singhar,” he said with a slight smile hanging on his lips.

Rather than meeting the man’s gaze, Laureen suddenly found the row of ants carrying little pieces of leaves on the ground below to be a lot more pleasant to look at. “You see, all this time as I took care of lady Sena, I have never had the chance to converse with her properly.” Gathering some courage, she lifted her head. Robert’s inquisitive grey eyes may be intimidating, but she faced them nonetheless. “Before I left, I was wondering if I could visit lady Sena one more time.”

“You wish to… visit her?” Robert frowned. He had seen how much care she had shown her daughter, and If it was some other time, he would not hesitate to agree to her request, but what he had experienced that day in his study… that strange condition Sena had been in…

I am truly sorry, but I don’t think I can—”

“Please? Just once?” Laureen tilted her head, staring at him with those pleading brown eyes that had always defeated Arakan’s hardest stance. Her voice became downcast and heartfelt. “If I could just talk to her a bit before I left, I would have no complaint.”

Robert sighed. That day, during their meeting, Arakan had told him some things about Laureen. Especially how she had an elder sister whom she lost to the Fade. He had said the reason she became so attached to his daughter was that Sena reminded her of her sister, whom she had taken care of before her last moments. Knowing that, denying her a last chance to meet her daughter...

No. he couldn’t be that cruel.

“As you wish, I would grant you this permission,” he said to her. “But remember, it can only be a brief meeting.”

Laureen’s face lit up with a bright smile. “Thank you, my lord. You have my gratitude,” she said, bobbing her head so fast that her hair whipped forward in a wave of red.

Robert waved his hand. “Do not worry about it. Wait here. I’ll have Hubrik escort you to her now.”

“Right now?” Laureen looked slightly uncomfortable at the notion. “Um, Lord Robert, would it not be better if I met her tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow? Why?”

“You see, now that I think about it, I haven’t put much thought into what I would say to her. So I would like to take this night to organize my thoughts properly.”

Robert thought about a moment before he nodded his head. “All right, as you wish, you would be able to meet her whenever you are ready.”

Sena sat in the darkness, propping her chin on her knees as she stared at the flickering golden flame of the candle sitting in front of her. Specks of gold flickered within her grey pupils, maybe from the candle flame or maybe not, but she did not know about them. Even if she did, whether she would care or not was very much a matter of doubt. Her attention remained fixed on the flame. In her eyes, it took on various forms. Sometimes of a little golden-haired girl, and sometimes of a great wolf whose shadow covered everything. A voice came from far away, further than she had ever been to. It called her again and again. Nagging her, harassing her mind constantly.

Come, it said. Hurry and come here!

Its soft croon woke a strange savagery inside her, trying to goad her into breaking through all that restricted her, rip apart all who stood in her path, and reach it however she could. And she wanted nothing more than to do that. Meeting the owner of that voice meant death, she knew. But if it could lead her to those who killed her sister, then she would face it gladly. And from the volcanic power brimming within her, she knew she would be able to do exactly as the voice asked, as long as she let loose and let it take over.

But still, she did not. She bore the impulse, buried the savagery deep in her heart. This was her home, and these were the people she grew up with. No matter how much she thirsted for the answer, she could cause them no harm. The task, however, was still proving fairly difficult. In fact, it should have been impossible for any other, but the months she spent in the cage of her mind, the torture her soul had suffered, had made them far stronger than the owner of the voice could have anticipated. After all, it was her own actions that became a hindrance to her wishes.

Sena looked towards the door of the chamber as it opened slowly. Robert walked in, meeting her eyes with his.

“Why are you sitting on the floor?” he asked, walking towards the table the candle sat on and settling down on a chair. He pointed to another chair. “Come and sit down. I have some matters to discuss.”

Sena shook her head. “I am fine where I am, father.”

Robert sighed, deciding against forcing her. “I hope you have had enough time to think things through,” he said.

“No matter how much time there is, my answer would remain the same.”

Robert narrowed his eyes and stared at her. “Well then, take some more time to think. I believe you will be able to see I am doing this for your own good,” he said, waiting for some sort of remark, but none came. Sena simply chose silence as her answer.

“Very well,” he shrugged. “Now on to the matter I wished to discuss. You know Miss Laurania, don’t you?”

Sena frowned. She did remember the red-haired girl. She had taken care of her a lot, apparently. In her eyes, Sena had sensed a peculiar brew of emotions, from excitement to worry and… rivalry? Sena had thought of talking to her about that, but things after she woke up, sort of spiralled out of her control, so she never had the chance to.

“Yes, I do remember her.”

Robert Nodded. “She would be leaving for the capital tomorrow and wishes to talk to you one last time. I have permitted her to see you tomorrow. But remember,” his expression turned especially serious, “whatever your feelings about the marriage, do not broach that subject to her. She is a kind girl who has taken much care of you during your illness and has grown quite attached to you. So I do not wish for you to hurt her.”

“Do not worry,” Sena said as she chuckled. “I am not that insensitive.”

Robert gave her a long measuring look before he exhaled a sigh. “I hope so.”

Robert sat on his black mare and looked at the light of dawn spreading through the cityscape ahead of him. He had warned his daughter. But a good chance still remained of Sena and Laureen’s conversation to take an undesirable turn. If possible, he would have liked to be present during the event, but a messenger from the border garrison a few hours earlier had thrown that plan to the water. He had thought after their previous victory not more than a week ago, the enemy soldiers would take a more cautious approach, but apparently, he had thought wrong.

He looked down at Rick, Hubrik’s grandson, who was standing beside his horse. “Remember to escort her safely and see to it that she faces no inconvenience, all right?”

“Yes, my lord. I will escort her home safe and sound,” Rick said.

“I am assured. Also, since neither I nor Hubrik can be there, it will be your duty to observe how their conversation goes. And make sure it doesn’t turn unpleasant.”

Rick took a deep breath, trying to fight off the butterflies in his stomach. If he knew anything about Sena, he was not someone who could prevent her from turning a conversation unpleasant. But still, as the future steward of house Moras, it was his duty. So he bowed to Robert.

“As you wish, sire.”