“Teral Burmont, are you sure?” asked Kila dubiously.

  “It's hard to be wrong about this. The description I got fits the girl we met at that Burmont banquet.” Mom made a tired expression and leaned gently against the back of the couch.

  Oh, that reminds me, I never mentioned anything about that, did I? Although there's not much to talk about that either.

  About mid-summer of the same year I celebrated my first birthday, we received a letter from Count Burmont, noting when a banquet would be held to celebrate his promotion to Count. Since I could not attend because of my age and Zenya was not interested, we had to stay home with Kila. From what I heard that day, Mom told Kila she should not attend because it would be “troublesome” if she did. I didn't quite understand it then, but now I can deduce that they wanted to keep Kila from jumping in to break that guy's neck. Not literally... I hope.

  I don't know much about what happened that day, only that my parents returned exhausted. Dad seemed upset, Mom particularly exhausted, and Sarka was confused and happy. And, although I'm not sure if it's true or just speculation from the maids, I heard that girl, Teral, had a rather strange conversation with Sarka. Those same maids thought that she and Nisire were either “fighting” over my sister at the party or that Teral proposed to my sister directly. Whatever the real reason, it was a day they had all decided never to mention.

  “But, if it is her, it doesn't make sense. That girl didn't act like someone who could throw a tantrum in a store, let alone if she knows the business has connections to our family and the Nazzik's.” Kila picked up her tail and began to preen it, thinking deeply. “She didn't seem like the reckless type who would look for trouble with us.”

  “That is precisely why I decided to contact our dear daughter-in-law. This cannot be a mere coincidence. Besides.” Mom left me on the couch and went straight to one of the shelves on the wall opposite where we were sitting. There, she picked up a small wooden box, barely the size of her hand, and carried it back. “Do you remember this?” she asked, handing it to Kila.

  My second mother opened the box and, seeing its contents reacted, having remembered something. “Ah, the fake mana stone.” She said, taking a small pearl the same size as the one I had seen Mom show Aunt Karla. But it looked much more... dirty? Cloudy? I wouldn't know how to tell, it just seemed like it was especially low quality compared to the ones I'd seen Mom handle.

  But wait, Fake mana stone? Did they find a way to recreate them?

  “Yes, the one you gave me two years ago. We were supposed to have stopped all those fakes by now, but just a few days ago I received a small report from Lord Galbart that they had found a smuggled carriage carrying a rather large batch of these.”

  Kila handed the object back to Mom, who set it down on the tea table in front of her, then went into deep thought before looking Mom in the eye and asking with a grave expression. “Do you think the two are related?” Mom nodded. “What makes you think that?”

  “It's not a simple thought. Katarina sent me a Kelan-”

  “A what!?” Kila asked aloud, incredulous and with an accusatory look.

  “Wait, wait, it's not what you think, I swear, honey!” Mom started waving her arms, desperate as she unsuccessfully tried to explain what seemed like a big misunderstanding. But, just before Kila could ask anything else, we heard a couple of knocks on the door and Tina's voice informing us that she arrived and that tea and snacks were being brought. Kila narrowed her eyes and, keeping her gaze on Mom, permitted them to enter.

  Pushing a small trolley with a couple of cups, two teapots, and a good number of slices of nut bread, Seria entered and immediately began to prepare everything as Tina introduced herself in front of my mothers giving them her usual greeting, although only Mom decided to nod.

  There was a long, tense silence between them, in which Kila never looked away from my mother, guilty and nervous, unable to meet Makila's gaze, to the point that some sweat was forming on her forehead. Confused as I was, Tina merely bowed her head slightly, waiting for either of them to speak to her.

  By the time Seria finished pouring the tea, including a cup for me, the silence had already become incredibly heavy and uncomfortable. Seeing that perhaps it was best for everyone, Tina ordered Seria to stand down and guard the door, to which she only gave a slight bow and went out.

  The moment the door closed, Kila, finally, looked away from Mom, but this time, it was Tina who got her full attention.

  “Tina. Did you know that Lana received a Kelan from Katarina?” she asked, looking at her with eyes that warned her that she wasn't allowed to hide anything from her.

  “Ah, the one from the other day?” the maid replied as if my second mother's gaze was a mere breeze passing through the trees.

  “Tina!”

  “Irlana! Since when have you become her lover!?”

  “I'm not! I'm telling you it's a misunderstanding!” Mom stood up frustrated and not knowing what else to say.

  It was easy to see the problem, a clear lack of communication, and while it was somewhat amusing to see her get a bit of a comeuppance for not speaking up, I didn't want this to provoke any fights between them, so I had to intervene.

  “Don't fight,” I said, and all three females froze and looked at me silently.

  Kila was the one who finally gave in, sighing and telling Mom that at least she'd listen to her, although she'd have to do it on her knees on the floor.

  To summarize, a Kelan is a kind of letter messaging service almost entirely exclusive to lovers. It's a well-known service among high nobles, famous for keeping their letters secret, though it's mostly used by unmarried heirs rather than married people. Even Mother was reluctant to use such a service, but, given how extremely reliable it was for keeping her clients anonymous and the content of her letters, she decided it was worth doing. Besides, Katarina was the one who sent the first letter, so she didn't have much choice.

  Most of the letters that had been sent, though short, were mainly conversations about moves they should make, the status of suppliers under Katarina's care, important partners and customers they should target to join the business or sell their products to as well as situations that might arise or business enemies trying to attack them in some way. That's why Mom brought up the subject.

  “That last letter Katarina sent me mentioned strange movements among some families, especially in the north and east. And that carriage carrying contraband, where do you think it was headed?”

  Kila sighed and one of her hands began to massage her temples, answering in a voice, partly exhausted partly relieved. “Toward Burmont's territory.”

  Mom nodded in response. “It can't be a coincidence. The weirdest thing, by far, is that the people carrying that contraband didn't even care much that they'd been caught. It was as if that had been their goal all along.”

  “Could it be someone is trying to frame them?” asked Makila, changing to a more serious expression.

  “I thought so at first, but now that Lady Teral has done this...” They remained silent for a long while, pondering what or who could be behind all this. Somewhat oblivious to it all, Tina had moved next to me, helping me drink my tea and feeding me the nut bread pieces. They were quite good.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Soon after, Kila poured herself a cup and took a sip looking immediately calmer, although she maintained a slightly sad expression. Mom, from her kneeling position in front of her, was about to stand up when Kila's voice stopped her abruptly.

  “You should have told me from the beginning.” She said in a slightly sad tone. Mom immediately lowered her head and apologized.

  “I'm sorry. At the time, I thought it would be a one-time thing, but, the more letters came, the more I decided to delay, and, well, I didn't want you or Hal to think I was cheating on you.”

  “Then Hal doesn't know either.” Kila sighed, shaking her head from side to side, clearly disappointed. “And in the end, it ended up happening what you didn't want to happen because you decided to keep quiet.”

  “Lana, you need to realize that I'm starting to get annoyed that you're constantly keeping things from me,” Kila growled, glaring at my mother, who seemed to be hit especially hard by every word, looking ashamed.

  “...”

  “We'll talk about this another time. In the meantime,” My second mother gave me a meaningful look. “Nita.” She said, surprising me by how intense her voice and look were. “Don't you ever do anything like that to your future partner! When you get married, if I find out that you treat them this way... Do you understand me?”

  I was speechless, thinking, what the hell are you saying to a 3-year-old girl? But, seeing the urgency in her gaze I nodded several times, so she could be sure I understood.

  “Was it necessary to say that to the child?” Mom added with sadness and a hint of shame in her voice.

  “You two are too similar, how could I not worry?”

  “Similar...? What do you mean by that?” replied Mom, feeling attacked.

  “Lana, look me in the eye and tell me, don't you find it curious that 2 of the 3 people you've fallen in love with are Teriants?”

  Mom had to look away at the irrefutable logic that had just been thrown in her face.

  “And let's not forget that this naughty little one knows a little Kibi girl whom she manages to “tame” from day one. See what I'm getting at?”

  T-tame?

  Now, let me tell you, this is a clear attack on me. The fact that I also averted my gaze from Kila has nothing to do with what she said. I swear. I just found the bookshelf across the room interesting. I'm an innocent girl who is being slandered here!

  ...

  Anyway.

  When Kila finally forgave Mom and allowed her to return to her place, they decided to drop the subject momentarily and merely enjoy tea and snacks. Thankfully Tina put aside her maid role a bit. Of course, with my mother's explicit permission, they had a relaxing conversation. When we all finished eating and drinking tea, Tina called Seria, who gathered everything up and retired, taking the little cart with her and leaving us again. With that, the serious conversation returned.

  “So, this is why you want to bring the little Burmont,” Kila said, stroking my hair. After eating, I sat on her lap, using her chest as a soft pillow.

  “I want to confirm how much she knows and if she doesn't know anything about this, something I'm almost certain of, I at least hope she can find out something herself.”

  “Hmm, since when do you place so much trust in her?” hummed Kila, somewhat surprised and amused by Mom's words.

  “I don't want to hear that from you. You were the one who first placed her trust in that child.” A small smile tugged at my mother's lips as she uttered those words. “Besides, one of us had to be nice to her, especially after you told me about that deal you offered her.”

  Kila shrugged, snorting with a small chuckle. “She's a good girl, honest and a bit clumsy, but kind-hearted. She's exactly what Lara needs to grow up.”

  “Speaking of which,” Tina interjected from her position across from us. “What was the deal you made with the young Burmont girl?”

  “I never told you?” asked Kila, receiving a denial from Tina. “I see. I must have forgotten. Well, it wasn't anything too complicated. At first, I just wanted to test her out to see if she was a good fit for Lara, but the more I talked to her, the more I realized that the girl fit in quite well with the family.”

  Kila began to explain everything that had happened between them since that day.

  After a conversation with Nisire, she realized that the girl was quite capable, not only in her way as a knight, which seemed to be going quite well, but she was also quite clever and thoughtful. The only thing that, in her opinion, she lacked was maturity and experience. Because of that, Kila thought that giving her a test that could help her improve those aspects could potentially help her, it might even help Sarka overcome her complexes and that tendency to isolate herself that she's had for several years.

  The deal went like this: Nisire, for the next 5 years, was to keep the relationship with Sarka stable and solid, with minimal contact. Makila intended that both could support each other without becoming dependent on each other, and by giving them relatively little time together, they could get used to their individualities, but always knowing that they could help each other. There was more to help them in that regard, of course, but that was the short version of the matter.

  Because Sarka had to return to the academy and Nisire managed to find a place in the knightly order she wanted to join, the Talana Order, Makila gave them 2 more years, however, it seems that Nisire refused that extension, something that impressed my second mother, raising her opinion of the girl.

  Apart from that, Kila also gave her other conditions, one of these being to fulfill a series of achievements within that time limit. She had to prove that she could enter the order as one of the top 30 candidates, and enter the reserves in less than 2 years from the time she was accepted. She also had to become a regular member before the end of those 5 years, 7 according to the change. In addition, she had to be recognized by every family member, including myself.

  So far, she had already gained the recognition of Dad, Mom, and Zenya. The only ones who had not given explicit approval were Kila and me, in a way we were the most difficult. Me, because I'm not supposed to know anything about all this, and Kila because she'll only accept her until the promised time is up. From what I can tell, though, Kila has already acknowledged her almost completely and has only kept her mouth shut out of fulfilling the deal because she wants to wait until the last minute to make sure Nisire won't let herself fall out.

  “So that's the way things are,” Tina said nodding. “But I can see that everyone has already accepted her so... When will the engagement be made official?” hummed the maid, looking cheerful.

  My two mothers laughed in complicity. “For now, let's wait and see how Sarka behaves. If she seems to have matured after these 2 years, we will announce the engagement next year. And if everything goes well, we would like to hold the wedding on any date after Nita's fifth birthday.”

  “Of course, things should be like that...” Mom continued. “But now that this situation has arisen, we need to be sure she's not involved in any way.”

  “Do you think she-?”

  “No.” Kila replied, taking the floor.” We know she wouldn't do something like that. But, knowing what her father is like, he could have ordered her to do something that might unintentionally implicate her, and she would be the perfect scapegoat for him.”

  “I see. Given his closeness to Lady Sarka, he could toss all the blame at her by alluding that she wanted to seduce the Baelian heiress to get information about the mana stones and make a profit from it.” Tina shook her head, looking annoyed at the conclusion she had come to. Kila and I shared the sentiment, instead, Mom put it into words.

  “That is precisely why I summoned her to the mansion. I need to be sure that she hasn't been ordered to do anything or been involved in any other way. Sarka would be devastated if something like that happens and it could destroy the trust she's managed to build up during this time.”

  Kila sighed and gave Mom a hug from her position next to her. I was in the middle of both of them, so in a way, I was also part of that hug, something I took advantage of to hug them both. I received a warm smile from my mothers for that act.

  “So” Tina announced standing up and placing herself before us. “When Miss Burmont shows up, I offer to be with her.” Tina curtsied, eliciting surprise from my mothers.

  “Of course,” Mom replied with a big smile. “I couldn't ask for anyone better.”

  With that topic finally settled, the conversation moved on to other things. Kila told Mom what had happened with Ameli and what she chatted about with the other maids, including Felia. Mom thought for a moment, trying to conclude something about what happened, but, in the end, she couldn't come up with anything and just told Kila that, if she saw or heard anything, she would help in whatever way she could. I didn't want... actually, none of us here wanted a repeat of the previous situation. Tina, who had been the first to report it that time, seemed quite concerned, but Kila assured her that she would not let things happen again, and that was exactly why she was acting now that the first signs were appearing.

  Tina thanked her deeply for that.

  After that, we talked for a long time, and yes, I say we were because I took the opportunity to tell Mami things myself and hear from her some more, including my request.

  “Mami, can I stay with you this week?” I asked her somewhat fearful that she would turn me down.

  Mom was surprised by my sudden request and looked at Kila who just shrugged and told her that if she had the time, she should accept.

  Hopeful, I looked at her once again, this time with my sad puppy dog eyes that I hadn't gotten to use in a while. Mom fell silent for a long moment, considering or perhaps calculating whether she had the time or the possibilities.

  “I guess, other than that meeting with Nisire and one that might come up depending on her response, I have enough time on my hands and not too much work these days. So, sure, why not? It's been a long time since I've spent quality time with my little baby.” And with those words, I immediately jumped up and down at her, overflowing with happiness and relief.

  We laughed together for a while, playing and chatting more until it was time for dinner. We had a rather nice and delicious family dinner, and faster than I would have liked, it was bedtime. To my surprise, Mom took me to sleep with her and Dad in her room, which normally never happened, but even Dad was more than happy with the idea.

  That night I slept amazingly well, feeling my parents' love again.

  Here!) everyone is welcome!