Family and strangers

A heavy bead of sweat trickled down Lucas's brow. Wiping the salty drop with a light motion, he shot a glance to his side. A few steps away, Tessa stood, her expression weary, and every little motion about her speaking of the nerves that no doubt ate away at her spirit. Inwardly, Lucas felt his heart drop. Had things played out a little differently, maybe she wouldn't have been on the fire line... The thought gnawed at the edges of Lucas's mind as he watched her fidget with the ends of her maid outfit. She was looking down, the curtain of red hair hiding her face, not daring lift her face for a second.

He looked to Nimue, who stood next to him. A quick exchange of gazes was enough to tell him that she agreed with what he was thinking.

He cleared his throat. The tall maid flinched, her motions freezing.

'She's jumpy like a stray cat.'

Lucas's lips twisted briefly at the thought before he spoke, "Uhm... Tessa?"

"Y-Young master?" she stammered momentarily, still looking at her feet. However, judging by how her breathing had shallowed, Lucas could tell her nervousness was mounting.

'She probably is mad with me over her situation. I should at least apologize for that... even if that doesn't change much.'

"Are you well?"

Tessa's fists clenched for the briefest of moments, a visible shiver going through her frame. "I'm w-well... just... a little tired."

"Are you certain?"

"Y-Yes..."

A beat of silence passed, seemingly stretching into infinity as the trio only stood there, the door to the Great Hall behind them. At any moment, someone from inside - Miri, most likely - would come up, telling them to enter as the head of the Stormrider family was calling upon them.

'Gods... this tension feels like I'm about to be crushed...'

"I, uh... I-- We heard what happened," he **** out, taking his eyes away from the redhead. "With you meeting my mother and... you know."

Tessa didn't answer, although there was a brief moment Lucas thought he'd heard her breath hitch.

"...I'm sorry, Tessa. It's all my fault."

He nearly felt her gaze lift.

Lucas continued, "If I had just... listened to you, let you fetch Aveline... none of this would've happened. You wouldn't be here with me."

He felt Nimue's hand covertly intertwine with his. She whispered something to him, quiet enough that only he'd hear, but his ears almost entirely lost the meaning of the words.

'I did this. This is the consequence of my actions.'

Unexpectedly, he heard Tessa's voice, "Young master, I... I-I appreciate the words, but... You shouldn't be saying that."

"I know. I understand that you must hold me in contempt for what's happened, but--"

"C-Contempt?"

"?"

Tessa's surprised tone snapped Lucas out of his speech. For the first time, as he looked at the woman, her gray eyes stared back, and he couldn't help but read confusion from her.

"Why would I hold you in contempt, young master?" she asked, her gaze switching between the man and Nimue.

The young Stormrider felt his mind grind to a halt briefly. He expected many things, but not this.

"I mean... this whole situation happened, and now... well, you know."

Tessa looked at him, perplexed for a protracted moment, before she fixed a strand of hair cluttering her field of vision and speaking, "Young master, I... you didn't tell me to meet your mother. That was my decision. If anything, I'm grateful."

"Grateful? What for?" Lucas almost rubbed his eyes, trying to convince himself this was not a dream or the like.

"That you didn't tell me I was crazy. I fully expected if I said to anyone that Miri was messing with the food, I'd be laughed at. Even if, in the end, it turned out I was just being paranoid for no reason. So... thank you, young master, for not shunning me. A-And besides... had you listened to me, w-who knows what'd have happened to Nimue..."

"I--" Lucas started before suddenly falling silent. Truth be told, there was much he wanted to speak, but his throat tightened at the thought.

'Candidly... I'm beginning to wonder as well...' he thought, stealing a glance toward the black-haired maid.

Nimue was quick to pick up on his internal conflict. Without so much as blinking, she asked, "What next, Tessa? Since we all know how this will go, any plans going forward?"

The red-haired woman sighed. "Truth be told... I'm not sure. Two years ago, I was aiming to be the head maid for Lady Ophelia, but then Glenda left. I don't have many ties to Weydan, but perhaps I should start making some. Lord Reywound has much land around. Surely he needs some helping hands."

'Vincent Reywound? That's Gareth's father... maybe I could...?'

"Count Reywound, hmm?" Nimue spoke with a brief pause. "Are you sure you want to go to the fields?"

"I don't exactly have the luxury of many choices," Tessa shrugged. "I have to start somewhere. Nobody will take in a maid who was thrown out after falsely accusing their superior."

"...what if there was a way?"

"?"

Tessa's brow raised as she looked at Nimue.

"We talked about it a little with young master, and he had an idea," she explained, her elbow rising to nudge Lucas's, telling him to speak up.

Lucas cleared his throat, a sense of trepidation sliding down his gullet. However, he swallowed his uncertainties.

"Well, I was thinking that... I could go and speak to Gareth about employing you. You know, at the Reywound estate. I'm sure he won't object to it if I spoke to him."

A stale second passed. Then a second one. Tessa looked at Lucas and Nimue, uncertainty in her gray eyes, before she shook her head gently.

But before she so much as spoke a word of response, the door behind them came ajar. Turning around, the three saw that the brown-haired head maid looked over them, almost immediately giving them a curt nod.

"Theresa, young master, Lady Ismeria is calling you inside."

A cold shiver went down the man's spine before he reciprocated the gesture. Shooting a glance toward Tessa, he saw that the maid didn't dare meet Miri's gaze, only stepping forward silently. Squeezing Nimue's hand briefly before letting go, he followed in Tessa's tracks, the black-haired woman stepping behind.

'Time to die.'

...

The room's atmosphere was silent, but the unbearable tension hung low in the air. Lucas looked, but there was nobody he didn't expect inside. His mother sat on her throne, a silvery dress encapsulating her voluptuous figure. Her icy blue eyes looked right at him from across the room.

His gaze escaped sideways a little, toward Ophelia and Aveline standing next to their mother. The taller blonde gazed at him with something bordering on compassion, with a tense underline. The rugged outfit on her frame, consisting of a long beige shirt and dark pants, was a sign that she had gone to change her clothes. Perhaps that was why he'd waited by the door for nearly ten minutes. He hardly cared either way.

'She looks fine, all things considered. Ophelia, though...'

He looked to the smaller woman. His silver-haired sister stared back, but the still-present tiredness of her stare was evident, as she didn't seem to have enough energy to even give him her usual cold look, the blue of her eyes half-dimmed.

'Mana exhaustion is no joke. It will take her probably until Monday to fully recover. I'm frankly surprised she even is here.'

Then, his gaze inadvertently escaped Ophelia's face. Her voluptuous figure, putting everyone in the back, was visibly accentuated by the red of her dress. The massive swell of her breasts was prominent as always, but today, the dress appeared to sag a little more than usual, the lace of her red bra poking just above its line. The already cavernous cleavage was like a valley between the two mountainous orbs. The sight made Lucas nearly stagger in his step before his gaze escaped down, seeing that one of Ophelia's legs stuck slightly out of the cascading dress, showing off a polished, dark shoe on her lithe foot, as well as the tantalizing curvature of her figure as a whole.

'It's almost like she's trying to show off or something...' he thought briefly, before a memory from not long ago flashed. Ophelia clad only in her underwear was still a vivid image he held within. His heart beat harder. 'Wait... is that still in effect? But I thought... I lost my class? Should that not dissipate?'

But his ponder was halted as he and Tessa reached the pedestal. His gaze turned back in Ismeria's direction, but he didn't look at his mother, his attention caught by the stained glass forming the well-known image of his ancestor. However, strangely, it felt like something about it was... off. For some reason, the image of Raymond Stormrider piercing Draukka's heart sent a grueling, conflicting sensation in his heart, one he had never felt before. He imagined his ancestor fighting the mighty beast hundreds of times in his life, but for the first time, the tiniest part of himself doubted what the image showed.

But as Tessa knelt, he followed suit, throwing the thoughts out of his mind. His focus sharpened as he heard Ismeria speak, "Lucas, Theresa."

"Mother," he responded, not lifting his gaze.

"Lady Stormrider."

"Stand up, both of you."

As they followed the command, Ismeria fixed her position on the throne. Her gaze swept across the two, unreadable emotion crossing her face before she sighed.

"Let us start with you," she said, focusing on the maid. "Theresa. Do you understand why you are here?"

"Yes, my lady," Tessa answered timidly. "It is about my accusation of Miri, and what happened because of it."

"Correct," the silver-haired woman nodded. The silver of her dress shimmered gently with her movements. "I will be clear. Your punishment is not because of the accusation. Had that been the case, we would have solved this dispute internally and on the spot. However, in your actions, you chose to confide in the only person who was forbidden from coming upstairs. Do you have an explanation for that?"

Tessa's breath hitched, her head lifting just enough for her gray eyes to meet the freezing gaze Ismeria threw. The apprehension visibly ate away at her, making her fingers tremble and her face look pale. However, she gathered all her mental strength, if only to part her lips.

"I do not, my lady. It felt like a logical option at the time, considering you, Lady Ophelia, and Lady Aveline were all preoccupied," despite her body speaking of the stress she barely endured, Tessa's voice did not break at all.

"Your intentions were not ill. I will recognize that. However, I will not tolerate mindlessness. Your punishment for that will be cardinal. As of today, Theresa, you are relieved of your duties as a maid at his house. You will be allowed to stay an additional three days before you're required to leave the estate. Additionally, you will receive your payment for this month. You may treat it as a see-off gift from us."

"You are generous, my lady," Tessa bowed deeply, the curtain of her red hair hiding her face. However, Lucas could tell she was nothing short of shaking inside.

'Even if she expected this, it still hurts. I'm sorry, Tessa. I will do what I can to help you.' he vowed in his mind, watching the maid straighten in her position.

"Leave now. Miri will accompany you to your room."

"Yes, Lady Ismeria."

Then, with another bow, Tessa moved back, nearly bumping into Nimue before turning and walking away. Lucas could swear he heard a faint sniff come from her direction before Miri moved from near him, the two out of the room within half a minute.

Then, he felt everyone's gaze on him. Looking at Ismeria, he saw the exasperation written on her face, intermingled with her stern look and twitch of her fingers.

"Lucas."

She said his name with a sigh. Lifting herself, Ismeria stood up from her seat.

"What do I even do with you?"

The rhetorical question filled the stale air of the room, bouncing around Lucas's cranium.

"Candidly, I don't know where to start. What were you thinking, meeting Princess Seraphina? Under everyone's noses, no less?"

The white-haired man gritted his teeth. The words his mother spewed heavily reminded him of what happened on Monday with Ophelia. Looking at his sister, he saw that she thought of the same thing, a glint of recollection dancing in her eyes as she reciprocated the stare. She moved on her feet, the movement enough to make her boobs jiggle. If Lucas didn't know better, he'd say she was trying to distract him.

Suddenly, he heard Ismeria call out to him, "Lucas. I will give you a chance. Explain yourself. How and why did you meet Princess Seraphina?"

Lucas swallowed dry saliva, steeling his nerves. However, as he gazed back at Ismeria, feeling her sizing him up with the ice-cold stare, he felt something bubble within him. Normally, he'd just feel frustrated, and rightfully so. However, in that moment, he couldn't help but feel a darker emotion rise slowly, gnawing at the back of his throat. He couldn't tell why, but he felt as though the woman in front of him was an enemy.

But he swallowed his feelings. Right now, he needed to control himself as much as possible.

"...On the day they arrived, I believe when you all were having dinner, Princess Seraphina came to the underground level and knocked on my door. I don't know why. I told her off, and I thought I would not see her again. But when I went outside at night, she came after me and insisted on a talk."

"And you just listened?" Ismeria's brow raised before she squinted.

"I didn't want to. But I just... I felt sorry for her. Hearing about the war and all, I agreed to keep her company. But I never told who I am. She figured that out by herself after seeing granfather Iwo's portrait."

Lucas saw his mother flinch at the mention of his grandfather. Something about how she looked sideways with a mildly displeased expression told him that she did not like how things were shaping up in his story.

"So, let me to get this straight. You went against my words because of pity for her?" Ismeria inquired, but she might've as well bared her teeth.

"I-- I..." Lucas paused, briefly considering his mother's words. His gaze jumped to his sisters. Immediately, his attention was piqued by Aveline, who looked at him fiercely, but not in a negative way. She looked like she wanted to guide his words in some way, the gentlest of stirs rattling her blonde hair as she shook her head.

"Well?" his mother pressed, stepping slightly closer. From the distance of just two or so meters, Lucas could nearly see the expanse of his mother's underboob, if not for the dress in the way.

"...Yes. I thought that I was just doing her a favor, listening to her woes."

"And you kept on doing that, knowing full well what I'd think of that?"

"It wasn't fully my decision to make."

A low groan rolled down Ismeria's tongue, the silver-haired woman stepping back toward her throne. Gazing at her son through protracted seconds of silence, she appeared to be picking her words.

'It sounds strange, but it's the truth. Well, not the full truth, but still.'

Eventually, his mother spoke, "And about Illan? Why did you attack him? Why were you upstairs when I clearly forbade your presence there?"

Lucas felt his guts stir unpleasantly at the remembrance. Lowering his head for a split second, he thought about how to convey what he wanted. Almost subconsciously, his hand twitched, searching for Nimue's, but failing to do so, as the maid was nearly two steps behind him. He knew this question was coming, but he couldn't help but draw a blank on what he should be saying.

Eventually, his lips parted, "Tessa came to me, speaking of a suspicion she held toward Miri. I didn't want her to worry incessantly, so I sent her off and went to reach Aveline. On the way, I met Illan. Things... escalated, and... you know the rest."

"Why did you go to meet Aveline?"

"...I thought that, since Aveline uses the alchemy lab so much, she would know something. Maybe an ingredient went missing recently, or something else happened."

Ismeria's eyes shot toward her tallest daughter. An obvious question stirred within, but she withheld asking it, instead closing her eyes for several seconds and visibly mulling over the situation.

"So, your first instinct was to assume Theresa was correct? A head maid of nearly two decades muddling in the food sounded more feasible than a regular maid being delusional?"

Lucas felt a lump in his throat. His mother's words struck at a spot he hoped to avoid. There was no good way out of this situation.

'Even if I said something, that would do nothing to amend Tessa's situation. Rather, it'd only harden the blow to her.'

He looked at his mother for a brief moment.

'But... what's up with this feeling...? Why does it feel like she knows something about the situation...?'

He almost frowned. It didn't look that way, but within him, a tiny piece of himself spoke otherwise. Seeing Ismeria, the sensation of her being an 'enemy' constantly flared, which was all the stranger because Lucas had never felt that way about her before. Something about her screamed hostility he could not explain. And, in the tenebrous corners of his mind, a name bounced quietly.

'...Rizgol... why?' he wondered, watching in silence as his mother came to a halt. 'Why does God of Magic pop up in my mind when I see her now...? And why do I feel it's connected to Goddess Thines being here recently...?'

However, his ponderings were cut short as he saw a new look on his mother. Genuine exasperation crossed Ismeria's face as she sighed, her icy-cold stare never leaving her son's figure.

"...is that all?" she asked, quieter than before.

Lucas felt a shiver go down his spine. He hadn't seen this look on his mother's face before, and he did not like it.

"...Yes, Mother."

He saw Ismeria's chest inflate as the woman took in a deep breath.

"I tried. Gods be my witness that I tried," Ismeria said, voice heavy. Walking in what appeared to be a back-and-forth motion, she looked at the stained glass behind her seat. "I supported you for so many years, Lucas. Treatments from Holy Mages when you couldn't class. Letting you train the sword. Allowing you to even attempt to go to the Academy. I did what I could to help you. Is that not true? Is it?" she repeated, looking straight at Lucas, the question rhetorical yet at the same time not. "And when I asked you to do one thing, when I gave a singular task, this is how you respond? With ignorance?"

She gave a little pause, allowing her words to sink in. Although Lucas wanted to respond, he found himself unable to. The pressure of his mother's presence was like a vice that prevented his mouth from opening.

Ismeria continued, "And thanks to you, Princess Seraphina lost an eye. Our family will now forever be branded as the one that failed to do something as simple as protect her in our own mansion, all because you did not do the single thing I asked of you."

Lucas could practically feel a vein pop up on his temple at the words. Frustration within him, so far aimed at the situation as a whole, now began turning to anger at his mother.

But he said nothing.

"You attacked Illan. You, a Classless, attacked your Classed brother-in-law. Using a runestone, you managed to defeat him. But even when he surrendered, you wouldn't cease attacking. What do you suppose would have happened, had we arrived any later?"

Lucas's gaze lowered. His fists clenched, out of anger or guilt, he wasn't sure.

"Candidly, I do not even know how I should begin approaching this. On one hand, I feel a little proud of you, for managing to defeat a Classed. On the other, I am furious with you for everything else. Ignorance of my words aside, your actions pushed Princess Seraphina to escape the estate and caused her to end up in Weydan. Your pity almost killed her."

"And you did nothing," Lucas responded quietly. The emotions within him bubbled and boiled. The more he stared at his mother, the stronger his anger became.

Ismeria nearly staggered in her step. Looking at him with an even fiercer gaze, she asked, "What did you say?"

The pressure on his shoulders increased. However, Lucas didn't care. Compared to what he had felt in the past week, this was manageable, albeit just barely.

"You did nothing, Mother," Lucas repeated with gritted teeth. "The moment we heard of Seraphina's disappearance, we rushed to find her. And what did you do? Nothing," he nearly spat, his anger surging. "You just sat on your throne. Had you come with us--"

*WHACK!*

Lucas's words were stopped by a sudden strike. With a groan, he moved on the ground, feeling Nimue help him up, just in time to see Aveline retract her aura.

"You dare talk to Mother like this?" she growled at him, to the visible surprise of both Ophelia and Ismeria.

It took a couple of seconds for everything to settle. The pain in Lucas's abdomen radiated. The blow was not exceptionally powerful, but it struck precisely at his solar plexus, pushing all the air out of his lungs. Still, he stood, breathing shallow, as he read the expressions of everyone present. Ophelia looked nearly aghast with surprise. Aveline held a strange mix of fierceness layered atop something that almost resembled compassion.

His gaze went back to Ismeria. The mature woman looked at him with the same fierce expression as before.

"Yes, I stayed behind," she confirmed. "I stayed behind because we were doing a sweep of the estate. Nobody could've predicted that the Classless waging a protest would have anything like runestones, much less of near 7th-circle power."

Lucas breathed wordlessly, feeling his veins pulse.

'But you knew about them-- huh?'

He blinked, perplexed at his thought. It didn't feel like his own. After all, there was no way--

"Lucas."

He looked up, straight into Ismeria's blue eyes.

"I wished, I sincerely did, that you would know better than this. But your actions prove that you do not understand anything. Your ignorance caused everything to fall apart. I accepted you as you were, but this ends now. If you could not learn this in abundance, you will in scarcity."

"...what?" Lucas frowned, not fully understanding the meaning of his mother's words. Something about them spoke of something grim that was about to happen, but he could not piece it all together. Looking at his sisters, and even Nimue, he saw they all were in a similar situation.

Ismeria took a longer breath, seemingly steadying herself, before speaking solemnly, "Lucas Tertrius Stormrider, son of Marquis Valerian Stormrider. As of this moment, you are stripped of your family name and status."

-1 hour later-

Lucas turned on his bed. The covers shifted, but they hardly covered him anymore. Staring at the ceiling for a couple of long seconds, his face suddenly twisted.

"ARGH!" he roared for gods-know-which time, immediately taking a swing at the wall next to him, his knuckles bouncing off the stone, marking a small spot with his blood. As his fist returned, he saw that the wall was now adorned with several similar marks, some smaller and some larger, signifying the stages of his anger venting. No less than three dozen such marks were already on the surface, but the exact figure was unknown to him.

*Sigh*

Yet another breath left his mouth as he felt his heart abate its rhythm. The pulsing pain told him that what he was feeling, both body and mind, was real.

He replayed the memory again. Ismeria's gaze, her body, her mouth. The words that struck right at him, shattering him from within. And right after that, his reaction.

...

Lucas scoffed. This was unfair. He did everything he could - hell, he did more than he should've been able to - and this was his reward? Getting removed from the family for 'disobedience'? While his mother did nothing to help their situation during the crisis?

'This family... ah, fuck you all. Aveline, of course, didn't speak a word, that cowardly bitch. And Ophelia... gods, Ophelia could grow a spine for once as well. But no, miss 'my tits are my personality' is obviously a Mother knockoff!' he huffed, looking over his room. But no matter how many times he did that, nothing changed. The place, the objects within, everything remained the same, as though cursed by the God of Time.

But that changed when he heard the knock.

*Knock knock!*

No words came from behind the door. Whoever was disturbing him at this time didn't do him the courtesy of announcing their identity.

"Go away," Lucas called out, barely bothering to even move. His voice was coarse, his throat dried up again.

*Knock knock!*

But the sound repeated.

"I said go away."

*Knock knock!*

Lucas groaned with frustration. Not bothering to put his shoes on, he strode toward the door, almost slamming his hand on the handle.

Then, he blinked in surprise, seeing his eldest sister behind the door.

"...Ophelia?" he asked, almost as if trying to assess if he was seeing a spectre. He could expect Nimue, Tessa, perhaps even Imari or another servant, but not her.

"Lucas," she responded. "May I?"

Lucas held the door for a few seconds more before opening it, allowing his voluptuous sister entry. As the silver-haired woman walked in, Lucas took note of her body shimmying. One of the most important parts he noticed almost immediately was that her breasts wobbled greatly, much more so than when she moved about regularly. His nigh-hypnotized gaze lasted for only a brief period, though, as he immediately closed the door.

"What do you want?" he asked, taking note of how Ophelia looked around his room. "Come here to gloat?"

"Gloat?" Ophelia frowned.

"Your useless little brother is finally thrown out. You must've counted the days till today," he nearly spat, frustration speaking through him.

He saw his sister's expression change, the so-far neutral countenance shifting to guarded offense.

"Is that how lowly you think I consider you?" Ophelia almost hissed with displeasure at him. Then, she sighed. "I just... I thought I should come to speak with you. If I may?"

Lucas rolled his eyes and shrugged. Then, he watched his sister sit down in a chair opposite the door. Whilst doing so, she clearly intentionally bent forward, giving him a view of her valley of cleavage. Lucas's cock throbbed lightly at the sight. Doing his best to calm himself, he took a seat as well, the voluptuous beauty of his sister a mere table's width away from him. If he so much as reached out with a hand, he would easily touch her breasts. The thought did nothing to calm his growing erection.

"What did you want to speak of?" he inquired, aiming his gaze at her face.

"I'm not sure. Everything happened so quickly... I didn't expect Mother to do that. I knew she was furious with you, but even she recognized your merits."

Lucas sighed. 'So, even Ophelia sees it... and here I thought I was being delusional.'

"What can you do. Some people cannot be pleased," he responded off-handedly. "They'll take a fault to you even if you give them what they want," Lucas's violet eyes rolled, the man not even fully aware of the implication of his words.

"Hmph," Ophelia gave off a sound. "Well... so, did you think about your next move?"

"Not really. I'll think of it tomorrow."

"Bold words. Mother gave you same timeframe as she did for Theresa, and you yelled you'd be gone by tomorrow evening. I thought you must've had some plan already," his busty sister said, and although her words had a sarcastic undertone to them, her voice did not speak in that way at all. If anything, for the first time in forever, Lucas could've sworn he heard a bit of compassion from her.

'...compassion. Funny how this word and Ophelia turned like two parallels as of recent years.'

"Well, that aside, I just wanted to say this. You're an idiot, Lucas," the silver-haired woman said. "For jumping into that barrier, I should really use my Origin Magic on you. You're lucky I'm still recovering."

"Gods, give me a break, Ophelia. Was I supposed to let Seraphina die?" he almost barked back.

"And for using her name like she's your friend."

"She is."

"As if. Just because she spoke with you doesn't make you her friend."

"I really wish you could speak Mins. I'd have asked her to tell you."

Ophelia shook her head, the strands of silver cascading and bouncing against her bust. Fixing the loose ones with her hands, she bent forward slightly, her massive breasts resting atop the table. Seemingly ignoring Lucas's eyes straying a few times whilst the silence filled the air between them, Ophelia eventually sat back.

"Oh, right, this reminds me. You owe me now."

"?"

"For helping you yesterday," Ophelia explained. "I will be coming to collect someday. Be prepared."

"What could you even want from me? You have everything, Ophelia."

His sister suddenly gazed sideways, something unknown dancing in her eyes. Lucas almost immediately felt himself be drawn to her bosoms, taking once again note of how her bra sat higher than her dress, now even more so than when she was standing back in the Great Hall.

'Gods, a little more and she'll be practically only in her bra...'

But his thought was stifled when he heard her clear her throat. As his eyes snapped up, he noticed that a slight flush began spreading across his sister's neck.

"Well..." Ophelia began, pausing as though to search for words. "Wherever you end up, do send a letter, Lucas, once you get accustomed to it. If all goes well, I may visit someday."

"I'll think about it."

Then, seemingly having found no reason to continue the talk, Ophelia stood up. Her brother immediately followed, a hand going through his hair as he watched her pass by him.

Suddenly, Ophelia stopped, glancing at him.

"...one more thing."

"What is it?"

"I... I don't hate you," she said with slight hesitance.

"...what?"

Ophelia turned away, hiding her face.

"I just... thought I should say that," she replied, somewhat strangely if Lucas were the judge. "...goodbye, brother."

"...bye, Ophelia."

And then, his busty sister pushed on the handle, opening the door and leaving.

...

Lucas blinked. His mind raced, trying to make sense of the brief talk. However, for several seconds, nothing concrete formed.

...

...

...

*Knock knock!*

He frowned.

"Gods, Ophelia, you just left for crying out loud..." he lamented quietly before coming forward. But as his hand met the handle, something in his mind shifted. It felt like he could sense that behind the door was not one, but two people.

And he was correct. As he opened the door, Nimue's green eyes welcomed his amethysts. Next to her, however, stood another familiar face.

"Hi. May we come in?" Aveline asked, casting a quick glance sideways.

"Uh..." Lucas hardly even cared to step away, only swinging his hand open. The door opened in full, which the two immediately used to enter. "What do you want, Aveline?"

"What, no 'hello', no 'thank you for taking the liberty of explaining me beating Illan to Mother without exposing me'? You're welcome, by the way," the robust woman said, her voice vivid but measured.

"Why are you here? And... what do you mean?"

"Really? Didn't you notice Mother said you used a runestone to beat Illan up?"

"I... what?" Lucas rubbed his eyes hastily. For some reason, he felt lost in the conversation.

'Right... she did say that... is that why...?'

"Well, first things first," Aveline turned to Nimue. "How are we standing?"

The black-haired maid looked at the robust woman. "The corridor's clear. Nobody will hear us."

Her words immediately caused Aveline to breathe with relief. Reaching to a pocket of her tunic, she pulled out two items: a rugged notebook, visibly filled with notes, and a bottle partly filled with some silvery liquid. Setting them on the table, she turned to her brother.

"So, how are you, Lucas?"

"What do you care?"

"Am I not allowed to ask, considering you proclaimed you'd be gone by the end of the week?" Aveline sighed with resignation. "Oh, right. Sorry about hitting you back there. But you were about to cast magic at Mother, and good luck explaining to her how her Classless son can do that."

"...what do you mean?"

Aveline looked at Nimue.

"I thought you told him?"

The elf maid sighed in reply, "I didn't have a chance to."

"Excuse me, told me what?" Lucas interjected, feeling that the control of the conversation was long lost. "And what do you mean, magic?"

The tall woman sighed, fixing a loose strand of hair hanging about.

"I know everything, Lucas," she said, both grimly and seriously. "All about the last week. Your meditation, those two men, Dream Walker, everything."

Lucas felt his heart halt. Looking at Nimue, he felt anger and bewilderment surge in equal measure.

"...You..."

"Yes, she told me. Now, before you get all angry, Lucas, how about we talk it through first?"

Lucas's fists clenched, the fingers trembling as though they could snap with the mere act. However, looking at Nimue, he saw her apologetic, or perhaps begging, expression.

"...why did you?"

Her emerald eyes dimmed. There was no regret in her stare, but she looked no less pitiful as she sighed.

Then, his eyes escaped to Aveline. The tall woman looked at him attentively, awaiting his response.

'...getting mad is pointless. If Aveline knows... she could've told on me already. And besides...' he took a brief second to scrutinize his blonde sister. '...it doesn't feel like with Mother at all. If anything, it's the opposite.'

The thought **** its way into his mind. It didn't calm him, but it did give him the momentary clarity of mind he needed to give his sister a curt nod.

Aveline sighed, pulling a chair and sitting in it. Then, with a finger atop the book, she looked at him.

"Sit down, Lucas. Let's talk about causality."

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