Had Ellanor still held her cup she most definitely would have dropped it. The only sound in the room was the groan from the armchair as Duke Dalton put his head in his hands and took yet another a deep breath.

“That is impossible,” Ellanor whispered. “I’m– I am avvir! You lie.”

Looking up, arms resting on his knees, Dalton shook his head. “I do not. Your mother was human – a servant at Redstone – and I fell in love with her.” When Ellanor just shook her head he added softly, “It is why you have no wings.”

It was the wrong thing to say, so incredibly inappropriate to point out. Ellanor bared her teeth at him, her voice turning sharp. “How dare you make such a claim. I lost my wings in an accident as a child, and I have the scars to prove it.”

“Those scars were fabricated by a healer to cover up the truth.” The Duke kept his voice patient, but there was an edge to it. “It was done to prevent questions, to let you live a better life. So was the decision to have Lourelle raise you.”

Ellanor opened her mouth but abruptly closed it again. What could she possibly answer to that? It was such an absurd claim, and all evidence lay in the word of a stranger versus that of a dead aunt. But doubt began to take shape in Ellanor’s chest, the truth getting twisted by her own suspicions. How many times had she not looked at the scars on her back and wondered why she had no memory of the accident that caused them? No recollection of the pain nor the healing? And when she studied anatomy with her tutor had she not realized that she lacked a set of muscles around her ribcage and simply blamed it on atrophy?

Dalton kept on speaking when she did not respond. “I wanted to keep you, to raise you. I have no other heirs and I cannot picture myself remarrying.” He fell quiet, lost in some memory, a sad smile on his lips. “But I couldn’t. I trust my staff with my life, but there are others at Redstone that would connect the dots, people who talk. It would have jeopardized you and I could not live with that. So I gave you to Lourelle.”

“She is not really my great aunt, is she?”

“No, she wasn’t.”

Even though Ellanor knew the answer before even asking the question, hearing Dalton say it out loud made all the pain of her loss surface. She slumped back on the sofa, disregarding courtesy altogether and staring blindly at her hands. She felt hollow, her entire identity scooped out, her life turned into a lie.

There was a groan from the sofa in front of her – Duke Dalton had stood up. “I need to get going,” he said, smoothing out his jacket and righting the cuffs. “And… you need time alone.” He turned to leave but Ellanor had one more question.

“What was her name?” she asked without looking up.

“Dorethy,” he answered, his voice full of love and grief.

Ellanor merely nodded, a confirmation and dismissal.

Dalton bowed his head in farwell. “I invite you to come stay with me at Redstone, if you’d like. It wouldn’t raise any suspicion since I was close to Lourelle – it would simply be seen as a kind gesture to a friend’s ward. I can tell you more there, about your mother.” He added with a polite smile, “You are welcome anytime you like.” Then he turned his heel and left the room.

When the echo of his footsteps had faded Ellanor got off the couch to pace the room. Her mind was swimming with thoughts and she fought to organize them as well as she could.

Humans had no status in Avvyr, considered no more than property, so why would someone with a stature like Duke Dalton even notice a servant like this Dorethy?

Maybe he’s a sympathiser. That would explain the secrecy, he’s worried to be caught.

But his worry towards her seemed sincere, the love for Dorethy too. And his claims about Ellanor being part human, the missing wings and muscles – it all added up. But that meant Lourelle...

He must be lying, there is no way Lourelle would lie about such a thing. But what is his agenda?

That was the question she kept coming back to, that she could not for the love of the Mother find an answer to. And Lourelle would lie to her if it meant protecting her. They might not have been related by blood, but they were still family and Tor Dalton could not change that.

“It seems as if we have a visit to plan,” Ellanor said. She turned to Tarra still in the corner, observant eyes lit with worry. “What you heard in here does not leave this room, Tara.”

“Of course,” Tara said with a bow of her head. “You plan on taking up on his offer?”

Ellanor nods. “I am not sure if I believe him.” She walks out the room and down the hall to the entrance staircase. “What he claims is absurd, but at the same time it does add up. I am not quite ready to confirm nor deny it yet.”

Tara follows a step behind. “So you’re going to investigate?”

“Yes.” They reach the top of the stairs and turn towards Ellanor’s rooms. “If there is anywhere to find answers I reckon it’d be at Redstone. It’ll be two days by carriage there, and I do not know how long we will be staying, so we better prepare the estate properly. We leave tomorrow”

“Shall I inform Mr. Waugh that you will be departing?”

They arrived at Ellanor’s rooms, the two avvirian guards on duty pushing the doors open for them. “Yes, please do. And ask the cook to prepare food for the journey.”

Tara bowed her head and ran off to find the family advisor, whilst Ellanor retreated into her rooms.

“Lukas,” she said, addressing the male guard, “fetch me two coffers and one of the leather traveling bags, would you.”

“Yes, madam,” Lukas answered with a bow and left in the opposite direction of Tara. The other guard nodded and closed the doors behind Ellanor.

Finally alone Ellanor began pulling the pins from her hair, removing the lace gloves, and undoing the sash at her chest. She felt exhausted, more so than ever. She wished she had not told Tara to burn the letter. She doubted it would have mattered now, though it might have helped her see things more clearly, if only to fact check Duke Dalton’s claims. Make sure his story held up twenty-one years later.

When Tara came back a while later Ellanor had a message ready to be sent to Redstone. Like the last one it was short and sweet, a simple acceptance of the Duke’s invitation to stay at Redstone for an indefinite time. Tara, ever the faithful handmaid, took the letter to a messenger for delivery and then came back to help Ellanor prepare for the trip.

Lukas had brought up the trunks as promised and Ellanor was now in the process of choosing which gowns to pack. With Duke Dalton’s sister – Duchess Yvet – love for fashion Ellanor had no doubt there would be clothes waiting for her at Redstone, all made to accommodate her lack of wings. Still, Duchess Yvet’s taste was quite the opposite of Ellanor’s, leaving most dresses she’d been gifted unworn. On top of that, the Duchess was known to be chatty, with no regard for other people’s opinions nor time, always interrupting and keeping smalltalk going on for unwanted hours.

Duchess Yvet is your real aunt.

Ellanor repelled from the realization. Then a thought occurred to her. Did the Duchess know? Ellanor could not possibly imagine she did. From what little they had spoken, and what Ellanor had overheard, Duchess Yvet despised humans and did not even keep them as servants. She was also the biggest gossip this side of the God City – nothing stayed a secret around her.

“The messenger has left for Redstone, Madam.” The doors closed behind Tara as she stepped into the room. “Do you need assistance packing?”

Ellanor stood from where she sat hunched over one of the trunks, flattening out her skirts with a hand. “No, I’ll manage. The satchel is for you.” She waved a hand towards the leather bag laying on the bed. “Take the rest of the day off,” she added with a smile. “We will have to be on our toes at the castle.”

The handmaid nodded, grabbing the satchel from the bed before bowing and leaving through the doors again.

Ellanor spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in her room preparing for the trip to Redstone, both physically and mentaly. She changed into a simpler dress and had dinner by herself, before sending the trunks off to the foyer, stuffed to the brim with gowns fit for a princess. She wondered what she would find at Redstone, if this trip would yield answers or just more questions.

She suspected it would be the latter.