I had barely finished tending to the last patient when Janus swept me off my feet—quite literally—and whisked me out of the palace before I could even catch my breath or make sense of what was happening. I’d wanted to linger a little, maybe chat with the priest to untangle some of the questions that were surely left hanging in the air, or at least offer a few kind words to those I’d helped. Perhaps I could have even made a connection or two. Instead, I found myself here, carried away before I could say goodbye, the echo of unfinished conversations trailing behind me.
Sigh
“Now that you have brought me here against my will, could you at least tell me why we had to leave?”
Janus didn’t bother answering me. Instead, he just tossed another question my way.
“Could we talk about it in the carriage?”
I couldn’t help but roll my eyes, my patience already wearing thin. My reply came out sharper than I intended, but I didn’t bother to soften it.
“Fine.”
Normally, I like to think of myself as calm, maybe even generous with my patience, but right now, even Janus was starting to grate on me.
When we finally settled into the carriage, Collin up front looking like he’d rather be anywhere else, I tried again, unable to let the question go.
“Why did we have to leave?”
“I ehm… I didn’t like their looks.”
I raised an eyebrow, not bothering to hide my disbelief. "That’s it?" Janus shifted in his seat, looking everywhere but at me, and I couldn’t tell if he was worried Collin might overhear or if he just didn’t want to share the truth. The uncertainty gnawed at me, but as the carriage lurched into motion, I let the subject slip away, at least for now.
“I guess we will have to discuss this later.”
**gulp**
“Could you at least tell me more about that girl who insulted me? Like her name, what house she is from, and so on.”
I caught the flicker of relief in his eyes, and it stung a little. Why was it so much easier for him to talk about her, of all people, than to answer the question that actually mattered to me?
“Her name is Gertrude Lunae, Siegfried Lunae’s only daughter.”
“Lunae!? Like the Duke Lunae?”
“The very same, but you don’t have to worry; her father doesn’t want her to pursue me either.”
“So he won’t strong-arm you into marrying her?”
“No, of course not. I don’t even want a second wife.”
I know he’d said it before, and maybe it’s silly, but hearing him say it again eased my heart more than I wanted to admit. I let my head rest against his shoulder, eyelids growing heavy. Maybe he was right. Maybe I did need to let myself rest, just for a little while.
“Then how about that bi… I mean the awful woman who made Maggie cry?”
“She was the first wife of Emilia’s husband Wayne, Elvira Tremaine, with her two daughters Anastasia and Drizella. When her husband was sent to Rosedorn, she and her daughters stayed behind, leaving him alone. Soon after, he fell in love with Emilia when she had just turned 18 while he was already in his thirties.”
“Ew.”
“We all thought the same, but by the time we found out it was already too late and she was pregnant with Maggie. Despite it all, they were happy together. I have never seen Emilia that happy since Martha left for Amor. Sadly, he died the year before you arrived.”
“But did she have to be this hateful towards her? Isn’t it all her husband’s fault?”
“That’s not how everyone thinks, but I believe there is more to it. Do you remember how her daughters looked?”
“Her Daughters?...Mmh… They looked just like their mother, right?”
“Exactly. But compared to Maggie, their half-sister?”
“Maggie doesn’t look like them at all… wait, you mean…”
“That Anastasia and Drizella aren’t Maggie’s half-sisters; they are most likely not even related.”
“So she was the cheater?”
“Both were, really. Wayne felt very guilty for what he did, so I think he believed them to be his own. But if they aren’t, then the real heir is our little Maggie.”
For the rest of the ride, I let my curiosity take over, peppering Janus with questions about the guests, the dragon, even the elves—anything to fill the silence and keep my mind from circling back to the things he wouldn’t say.
“SO you believe that that Kethryl guy was the one who tried to kill Joel?”
“Yes, there aren’t that many powerful wind mages who are close to the elves, and I’m sure it’s him: when he opened the window to release all the smoke, when his voice carried through the entire hall and all the bells on his clothes that sometimes don’t chime. All deeds only possible with the wind magic you described to me. I’m sure of it.”
That was when we reached the Yuwen estate. And I was left wondering why all this was somehow easier to talk about, but not why we had to leave?