The house was as lively as ever; smiles echoed through the walls as they all pretended to know nothing about Giselle, their fake smiles only genuine when smiling for Zira.
The hours slipped into late night as Giselle prepared them a meal, which they enjoyed while relaxing on the floor.
"We wanted to visit you, Daylan, but we were told you've been on a mission for weeks. You didn't tell us about that."
Daylan wore an awkward smile, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, sorry about that… the princess wanted to know more about her citizens."
Giselle calmly turned to Astara, who hardly made any eye contact.
"How is your family doing, princess?"
Astara gave a gentle nod.
"We will forever be in debt to you and your family. I know there isn't much we can do for the royal family, but if there's anything we can, just say it, and we'll do our best to help."
"Don't worry about that, Mrs. Rhys. I am grateful for all that Daylan is already doing for me." Astara shook her hands awkwardly, trying to reassure her.
In that instant, Daylan hurried his words. "By the way, Mother. Was there anything you needed from me?"
Giselle's expression darkened as she turned to Daylan. She had wanted to visit him for specific reasons—to check on him and discuss something important.
She wanted Daylan back home. She claimed to have a lot to attend to at work, and having him home for a week or two to take care of Zira would be beneficial to her.
Her words struck Daylan and the others, causing them to exchange suspicious glances. It was clear that Giselle wanted to focus on her organization, or perhaps they had unknowingly done something that had deeply hurt her and her people. Whatever it was, they knew Giselle was going to act.
Nevertheless, this was a perfect opportunity for Daylan to get Zira from Giselle's care, and he wasn't about to fumble it.
"If that's the case, then she can come live with us," Daylan said, as Medora and Astara turned to him, confused.
Giselle's aura suddenly grew tense, as if she were on the verge of losing her composure, but she remained calm, gently brushing her hands through Zira's hair.
She wore a faint smile. ''It's been a while since we've been together as a family. I was hoping we could stay together.''
She barely glanced at Daylan, staring at Zira's head as she kept brushing against her hair, calm.
Daylan was puzzled by Giselle's words. He began to tremble inside as he stared at her, his eyes widening. He knew it. He knew Giselle was back to wanting him dead.
Whatever she was up to, it was clear that his death would bring her closer to victory.
He sat frozen, struggling to find the right words to avoid what his mother was asking of him. Any words spoken without careful consideration could lead Giselle to suspect him.
Knowing she wanted him dead meant she was ready, yet his mind remained blank. He knew he had to say something.
Before he could utter a word, Astara spoke up. ''I am very sorry, Mrs. Rhys, but I need Daylan. I need him for my charity work. Neither Dora nor I have the charisma to win people over like Daylan.'' She bowed her head. ''Can you have your family time after we've completed our mission?''
Giselle gritted her teeth with a devastating smile as she tilted to Astara. "Is that so? I am glad we could be of help. How about I visit you instead?"
"I think that would be best. But that wouldn't be family time, would it?" Daylan said calmly, trying to rise to his feet. "Mother, let's do this after I'm done helping Medora. After that, I could stay for a month if I want to."
"How about you kids get going? It's getting late, and I don't think you want to sleep over either." Giselle said, her devastating smile still lingering on her lips.
Her abrupt words and expression were concerning; it felt as if she were forcing them out. They didn't trust her words, but they knew leaving was their best option.
However, Daylan wasn't leaving without Zira—Giselle's expression alone made it clear that something could happen to her if she was left behind.
At Daylan's request, the room fell into an awkward silence. Giselle said nothing, continuing to brush Zira's hair over and over. Daylan was scared to death that his mother might suddenly lose control and cause a terrible scene in front of Zira.
"Okay, big brother. Let me get ready." Zira broke the silence with her cheerful tone. She got to her feet and hurried to her room.
Giselle remained seated, completely lost in thought. Daylan moved closer and sat beside her, teetering on the verge of revealing his nervousness but managing to keep his composure.
He reached for her hand. "What's wrong, Mother? You don't seem like yourself today… don't worry, as soon as I finish helping out Astara, we'll have all the time in the world to ourselves."
She touched Daylan's face. "See how much you've grown… not long ago you were just a baby. I can't seem to stop missing you."
Daylan's heart sank as he stared directly into his mother's flickering eyes. Her words felt genuine—there was no trace of murderous intent or even sarcasm. It was simply a mother speaking affectionate, appreciative words to her child. He couldn't tell whether she was just good at pretending or if she truly meant them.
Is this her ability?
As his mind wandered, Zira returned carrying her luggage, with Medora stepping in to help her. Daylan turned back to Giselle. ''I'll always miss you too, Mother,'' he said.
Without wasting another minute, Daylan said their goodbyes and hailed a carriage. Giselle stood by the entrance, watching as their carriage slowly rolled away before extending her hand to wave at them.
Medora and Astara cheered for Zira as the carriage rolled away, planning to visit the northern part of the city with her the next day. Zira stared at them, her eyes sparkling. Meanwhile, Daylan was lost in thought, knowing he needed to find a better and safer place for Zira.
For obvious reasons, their house would be the least safe place for Zira. They wouldn't be able to go on missions with her around, and moreover, Daylan couldn't fully trust his mother. What if someone was following them to scout their house? If that were the case, a fight could break out in front of Zira, but he didn't want to spill blood before her eyes.
He thought like a concerned and loving big brother, but their world was one forged in blood. If he were to die on a mission, or if his mother managed to kill him, it would likely mean Zira would be next. Moreover, whether Zira chose to become a warrior or not was her decision to make.
He was aware of this, but he still couldn't shake his desire to protect her from any kind of battle—especially not one that involved her brother and their murderous mother. That kind of thing could stain her heart forever.
Numerous places to keep Zira came to mind—Medora's house as a maid and the monastery, though he didn't trust anyone there. He even considered telling Zira about their missions but quickly shook off such foolish thoughts.
It all seemed over until a brilliant idea struck him— the Bastian family.
Yeah, they're my enemies and they want me dead, but what if I can postpone that? Or even turn their desire to kill me to my advantage… Even so, it wouldn't be too difficult, because I know the Bastians wouldn't let anything happen to Zira. The world would know she's under their care. I just need a perfect way to execute this.
Daylan ruffled his hair repeatedly, desperate for a plan. He knew getting dirt on the Bastians would help, but for how long? Even that would only deepen their desire to kill him.
To make this work without any bloodshed, he needed to find a way to help the Bastians with something important. But what? He knew all too well that there were Bastians stronger than he was, so whatever it was, it couldn't be something that relied solely on strength.
Before long, their carriage arrived, yet Daylan still hadn't figured out how he could help the Bastians. He walked into the house, holding Zira's hand with a smile as she admired the surroundings, but his mind was elsewhere.
From his mother's words, it seemed she wanted to end things in just a week or two—or perhaps that was part of a plan he had no knowledge of. But regardless of what it was, he knew he had to figure something out and get the Bastians to take care of Zira, and that needed to happen in a day or two.
Many hands make light work. He needed to consult Astara and Medora.