“We have something like that happening?”

  The small piece of stem fell onto the table after being snipped off.

  “These dragon flowers are a gorgeous addition; I should thank Empress Consort for sending them.”

  “This subject will have something sent to her my Grand Lady,” said the steward and her lady smiled.

  She carefully placed the freshly trimmed blooms in the arrangement. After looking at the vase from a few angles, she seemed satisfied and nodded.

  “I feel that maybe I haven’t met with my grandchildren as often as I should.”

  Her steward smiled as if knowing exactly what she wanted to do.

  “Young lady, if this old lady could trouble you to visit me again once you know more,” she said.

  The maid that had been standing in front of her with her head down, curtsied and left the room. One of the other girls started cleaning the table with the cut stems, fallen petals and leaves.

  “Is this type of sickness hereditary or is it just the influence and environment?”

  “Who knows the types of things that are hereditary my Lady,” said the steward as she found a spot for the vase.

  The grand lady dowager sat thinking about situation and her eyes went across the room to a framed piece of fabric. This time instead of focusing on the spider lily blooms, her eyes moved over the purple blooms of wolfsbane.

  All these years she had avoided getting involved in the matters of the palace and it had resulted in all sorts of silent tragedies happening to innocent people. In her opinion, knowing and not doing anything, made her just as tainted as the people who took part in the deeds. As a grandmother, there were things that only she could do.

  ****

  “Няня! Сен ?айдасы?? (Nanny, where are you?)”

  Sorin looked around but didn’t find any one in their usual place.

  “Here, I’m here!” she responded while stepping into the room with Pia and her attendant right behind her.

  Sorin was surprised to see his sister. They had probably let her visit, not knowing that Sorin would return. Despite the duchess’s hesitance about Sorin, his sisters were somehow quite fond of their coarse, taciturn brother.

  It didn’t help that Pia was also incredibly stubborn, so she always found a way out of the main household. As usual, she attacked him with a hug to which he smiled a little.

  “Big brother, what did you say to Nyanya just now?”

  “Aren’t you people embarrassed calling me that all the time? I don’t have children I’m nursing as big as all of you.”

  Pia couldn’t help but laugh and even Sorin had to chuckle. It was indeed a little childish but he had grown up addressing her that way and had never really thought deeply about it, even Altair used the same address.

  “Do you think we should say Granny Mei instead?” playfully asked Sorin after turning to his sister.

  “Let me see if you dare,” commented the older lady as Pia giggled.

  “Alright, alright т?те (aunt), we’ll call Aunt Mei from now on.”

  The newly minted Aunt Mei barely had time to comment or protest as Sorin gently guided her to a seat. “What did brother say when he came in?” asked Pia as she also sat down, still curious about it.

  “He was simply asking where I was in this auntie’s native language.”

  Pia glanced at her brother and then slowly nodded. She would have loved to ask more but she knew that it might turn into an awkward topic.

  As far as she knew, when Sorin’s mother married Duke Ulfric, Aunt Mei had come over as a companion to her.

  It was a bit of a known thing that the duke’s first wife was a Lady from one of the neighbouring kingdoms outside the empire so having a companion or close attendant was not surprising.

  When the first wife passed away, Pia was too young but she could still remember her gentle eldest brother who only died when she much older.

  In a way, Sorin was the only one left in that family. Thank goodness for Aunt Mei and Altair but Pia still felt a little sad so she couldn’t imagine how her brother felt.

  She suddenly felt a hard flick on the forehead to which she reacted by quickly covering it with her hands but of course a bit too late.

  “Ahh, what was that for!”

  Never mind, her sympathy had to be taken back.

  “What are you busy day dreaming about while your elder brother is talking to you?” asked Sorin.

  Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

  “Alright, stop it, at your big age, you’re still bullying a little girl.”

  The light scolding from his aunt was accompanied by a little slap on his shoulder that he didn’t take seriously at all considering how it just felt ticklish.

  “Now that you’re both here so I’ll tell you too Pia since you’ll know eventually,” said Sorin but the girl suddenly didn’t like the tone of his voice.

  “Actually Aunty, what we talked about before will have to happen sooner.”

  Aunt Mei turned to him in slight alarm and Pia desperately wanted to know about their previous discussion.

  “Why the urgency?”

  “See… My battalion has been issued a military edict to join the imperial army in a campaign across several kingdoms.”

  “Several kingdoms? It would take months to travel across several kingdoms with so many people,” suddenly said Pia with a slight smile and a few moments after the silence, she understood her own words.

  Pia was indeed correct that it would take months to travel considering that it was not merely travelling but settling skirmishes, holding political conferences and round table discussions for days at a time.

  Aunt Mei looked at him with a slight concern. She had a feeling that the situation was a big surprise for him as well but since the talk, he seemed much more determined about things concerning his career so naturally he would take on the sudden responsibility.

  “And when would young Master have to leave?” she asked.

  “For the imperial campaign sometime in autumn and that might possibly take half a year. Before that we have a northern patrol. After the patrol, I’ll have to go to the capital for the strategy meeting for all the chosen representatives.”

  Pia’s head couldn’t quite make sense of everything. With all the things he had to do wouldn’t he be away for almost a year or more? He would be away for years at a time, again?

  “But… Father wouldn’t let part of our army go for that long, would he? He wouldn’t let big brother go away again for that long. Why did you even agree to that? No, you can’t go…”

  “Pia, it’s an imperial command. It can’t be disobeyed,” gently said Sorin as he patted her head.

  Before he could say more, she stood up and stormed out of the room. Altair only saw Pia running out of the room with a furious expression.

  She kicked him in the shin and while he was hopping on his one leg, she grabbed her equally surprised attendant and ran from the residence.

  “Young Master, if she’s angry with you, why am I the victim?” asked Altair when he peered into the room.

  “Should have asked her that,” stated Sorin.

  Altair took a seat while mumbling and rubbing his shin. The little lady certainly knew how to kick hard considering how gentle she looked.

  Sorin could only glance at the door. The little girl would calm down at some stage but for now no matter how he tried to coax her, it would not change the situation.

  “Aunty, it looks like I’ll have them hurry the preparations for you. I want to make sure by the time we come back from our patrol, everything will be organised.”

  The three of them knew that was when they would have to say their goodbyes, but no one said it out loud. Aunt Mei looked at the two young men that had grown up in her care.

  Though they were silly sometimes, she was quite proud of how they had turned out despite the unstable family situation.

  What was most important was that they were coming into their own without being weighed down by the negative circumstances of the past but rather using them to look forward to the future.

  “Also, before we leave, I need advice about a gift that can be ready by the time we get back from the patrol.”

  Aunt Mei looked at him with questions all over her face.

  “Something practical but not too personal. It must look good enough for a noble to appreciate without it being too extravagant and it should fit in a box about this big,” said Sorin while spreading his arms to the estimated box size.

  Altair completely forgot about the sombre atmosphere and could barely hold his laughter at the wonderfully awkward and vague description.

  “Why should it be practical and why specifically that box size? Is it an acquaintance, courtesy, or business gift?” asked the older lady.

  When she really thought about it, since he mentioned a noble, high nobility rarely ever gave each other practical gifts in the kingdom, it was usually expensive jewellery and things considered as priceless, exotic, or rare.

  Altair finally gathered himself after the silent laughing fit that him in tears.

  “Auntie, in case you missed it from his wonderful description. This young Master here wants to give a lady a gift. Something like an introductory gift. We’ll be transporting the box with us that’s why it must be a certain size.

  Realisation dawned on Aunt Mei’s face.

  It wasn’t unusual to send gifts to those who seemed like good contacts to build a good relationship with the individual and sometimes even their family and friends.

  She was just surprised that the person was from a noble family seeing as Sorin had always avoided the complications and unspoken rules that came with such connections.

  Even with all those intricacies, sometimes getting to know powerful people and staying on their good side could have its own advantages. Considering that they would be travelling with the box…

  Was it someone they had met in the imperial capital? It only made sense when she thought about what Altair had previously mentioned.

  “Oh, I see. So, something that’s not presumptuous for a young noble woman? The girls here generally enjoy novel gifts such as music boxes, stylish fans and maybe an elegant parasol would work.”

  When Sorin thought about it, the receiver looked very harmless and cute, but somehow none of the options sounded very viable to him.

  “From what I’ve seen, those would be a little too general for that Lady. It feels as if not only the young Master, but I would also be used for target practice on the shooting range after she’s received it,” hesitantly stated Altair.

  “For once I agree with Altair,” said Sorin and the young man next to him made a look.

  Aunt Mei couldn’t help but think that the young lady sounded fierce and wondered if this new contact was worth it.

  Sorin couldn’t exactly explain that he had received a valuable gift from her since his aunt would likely talk his ears off about accepting it in the first place. At least Altair understood that he merely wanted to reciprocate in kind with something suitable.

  Besides, such a long distance and so much trouble for an umbrella? What was the point? How novel could an umbrella be? The princess also wasn’t the only one he had to get something for, naturally the two girls with her would have to get gifts as well so where they got these things was also important.

  “Maybe also consider something custom made. Outerwear should be appropriate and not too personal or general. Actually…that young lady Xana should be helpful.”

  They both hadn’t considered consulting with Xana about it as they didn’t personally go to her to get their clothing made.

  As someone who dealt with different types of people often, she was able to design quality items just by getting a description of someone’s personality, part of why she had become so popular.

  She didn’t own her own shop, but she was highly requested where she worked so the idea was unanimously welcomed.