"You aren't serious. You can't expect me to believe that you're actually the Grand Duke, L'Aube of the Shavais kingdom, brother of the King." She said flatly, though her mouth was suddenly very, very dry. She didn't take another drink of wine though, his lack of expression told her just how serious he was.

"Will you listen to what I have to say now?" He asked. 

"I-Yes, I will." 

"Very well then. I'm not asking you just because my son is my son, the next Grand Duke. I'm also asking you because of my ward. His name is Marcel, and he is Duke Ecoffier's grandson, believed to have died sixteen years ago in his mother's belly." He divulged, his eyes never leaving her face. She spread her magic all around the room reflexively. She'd only done this a handful of times, but she knew she could make the energy in the air thick, too thick for anyone to hear more than mumbles should they stand outside the door. The Grand Duke sat up and looked around him in surprise.

"You said you came here expecting me to have magic, Grand Duke. Please, continue." She said.

"Yes, but, well, alright…" The Grand Duke stammered, before continuing. "I don't know if you are aware, but in noble families the heir is not actually chosen simply by birth order. The heir is born with a mark, specific to their family. Marcel's parents asked me to keep him hidden, and safe. I cannot call in a high wizard from one of the sorcellerie's, because his mark would identify him. My family wizard has been keeping the magic of his mark hidden for all this time, but the magic that has entangled the boys is… powerful. To be honest I'm not even sure one of the high wizards could unravel it." 

"But you think I can?" Reverie asked, he nodded somberly.

"Initially it was simply a slim hope, I'll be honest. If you were truly Thiera's daughter then you might have Whispered magic, which is what the entanglement is. I thought, perhaps, you'd have some chance at it. But now, I am certain of it. You would be able to undo this magic." He said earnestly, his eyes shaking with emotion. Reverie shifted, uncomfortable under the look.

"Tell me, Grand Duke, why is it that my mother specifically came to mind in this situation? I'm told that the Di'Cairn don't often venture from the Eawood, but I don't believe at all that that means I am the only living person with Whispered magic outside of the Eawood. How did my mother even know you, Grand Duke? I know enough to know she wasn't a whore, so it wouldn't be that." She said, trying to reason through things. She could believe that Whispered magic would be more effective in this situation than human, especially given the need to avoid high wizards. But there was no law keeping the Di'Cairn away from human kingdoms. This man is the brother of the King, and what's more he is L'Aube. He could scour the world, finding another Whispered magic user would be possible for him. There was a distinct chance, she thought, he could have even gone into the Eawood itself. 

"What do you know about the Duke Ecoffier's son, Marcel's father?" He asked her, instead of answering her question.

"Julienne Ecoffier is-" She started, but he cut her off.

"No, not Julienne. His first son." He clarified. Reverie pursed her lips at him.

"Nothing, I didn't realize he had another son." She admitted. 

"That's not strange. His oldest son was an embarassment to Henri Ecoffier. He had incredible intelligence, and could easily have been considered a genius. But he was eccentric, to put it mildly. He was my closest friend before he disappeared."

"Alright." Reverie said, it was difficult to see where he was going with this.

"When the last expansion took place, he refused to get involved unless his father agreed to let him pick his own wife. It was an odd request from an odder son, and Henri believed he would die, and his mark would pass to Julienne anyways, so he agreed. He did not die though, in fact he thrived on the battlefield. He was a genius in more ways than one. When he returned he demanded that his father hold to their agreement, and the Ecoffier family sent an emissary to his desired bride's family. It created a huge stir in high society, though I'm sure for the common folk it went mostly unnoticed during the war recovery." He trailed off, seeming lost in thought. Reverie left him to his silence for a few minutes, before her patience gave out.

"I see." She couldn't keep the impatience out of her voice, and the Grand Duke gave her an apologetic look. She hoped that meant he would get to the point soon. 

"The woman he wanted to marry was the daughter of Venura, High Priestess of the Di'Cairn temple. When the emissary returned from the Eawood, his bride to be was with them, her name was Thiera." He said at last. The wheels in her head spun quickly as she processed this.

"Marcel's father, the son of Duke Ecoffier, was married to Thiera. My mother?" Reverie asked. The Grand Duke nodded, but didn''t say anything. "So what, my mother ran from the marriage after losing her baby? And then met this Etienne, my supposed father?" 

"No, lady Reverie. Duke Ecoffier's eldest son was Etienne Ecoffier. Until now, I had been under the impression that he and Thiera had one child, Marcel. He was the one who was brought to me by the midwife who delivered him. She never mentioned another child. But you are the same age, Reverie. If you are Thiera's daughter, and I am certain you are, then you and Marcel are likely twins. Though I can't imagine why only one of you was brought to me." He said, and she shook her head in disbelief.

"That's a stretch, at the very least Grand Duke. Isn't it more likely that Thiera simply had another child, or that my mother is not the same Thiera?"

"No. Reverie, have you ever been to the Eawood? Or had a teacher for your magic?" He asked. She shook her head again and bitterly replied.

"I've never left Amarette. And only a few know about my magic."

"Maybe that is why you don't realize it, then. When you used your magic just now, if I hadn't spent time learning to detect it, I would never have even known you were doing it." He said, as if that meant anything.

"Was I supposed to tell you first?" 

"No, it isn't anything like that. Whispered magic is unique in many ways, one of those ways is the way its use affects the Whispered folk. Unless they are very powerful, and very well trained, Whispered magic produces moving patterns of light just underneath the skin. It's visual tell that the magic is being used. I've only heard of a few Whispered Folk who could use their magic without the visual signs without training, like you just did. Thiera was not that gifted, but she was the High Priestess' daughter. Your grandmother Venura has a mastery over her magic, it isn't impossible to believe you inherited that from her. " He insisted. Reverie wanted to refute him, but a memory came to her then and kept her quiet. The night Bardot had examined her, after Beau's assault, wasn't one she liked to remember. However she couldn't help but recall what she'd said about Thiera giving birth. She had described the light patterns on her skin, and even then Reverie had wondered why she'd never seen them on herself. She rubbed her hands on her robe a few times, before she looked back at the Grand Duke.

"So, Your Grace, let me be certain I understand."

"Of course."

"By your theory I am the daughter of Thiera, Di'Cairn princess, and Etienne Ecoffier, eldest son of Duke Ecoffier. But for some unknown reason, when my parents, for whatever reason, abandoned their son to you, they brought me here instead. I assume because your house is very small, and so you would only have had room for one of us." She managed to keep her voice even, though she ground her teeth together as she waited for him to answer her. It was clear on his face, that he didn't have any real explanation for that, but that he understood what she was getting at.

"I won't pretend to know why things turned out this way, Reverie. Truth be known, your parents didn't tell me enough for me to even guess at why, before your father and mother disappeared. That's what happened. When your mother announced her pregnancy, Etienne came to me to ask that I shelter his son, and then he was gone. Shortly after that, Thiera ran as well. I looked for her but couldn't find her before she gave birth. Her midwife brought Marcel to me and said that Thiera had asked that I keep him safe from Duke Ecoffier. She never mentioned a daughter, and I never found either of your parents to receive more of an explanation. I only came here when I heard rumors of an enchanting young woman with brown hair, and eyes that can reflect a man's soul. It reminded me of Thiera, and I was desperate." The Grand Duke was telling her the truth, she could tell. The guilt was written all over his face, he would never have left his best friend's daughter in a brothel if he'd known she was there. A small chime rang out, signaling that it was midnight, and Reverie came back to reality.

"So, you want me to come save your son, and my brother?" She asked.

"Yes." He breathed, his hands curling into fists in his lap. 

"And what are you willing to pay me for it?" He flinched and frowned at her.

"Do you need payment, more than you already asked for, to save your own brother?" He asked. She laughed a little at that.

"You paid me to listen to you in good faith. I've done that. Now we are discussing me helping you deceive Duke Ecoffier, who my parents apparently abandoned me to escape. Forgive me if I'm not falling all over myself to help my poor brother, who both my parents did their best to keep safe." She spat. His frown immediately fell from his face. She hated what she must look like, to him. A sulking child. But still, she knew enough about the world to demand that she get something in return. What did it matter if she had a brother? He'd grown up sheltered by the Grand Duke, while she had been left to rot in a brothel. Her parents had chosen him over her, and now she was expected to do more for him? 

"What is your price?" He asked softly, too gently for her pride to bear. She bit her bottom lip and stood abruptly. Her eyes were burning and her throat was tight. It took a second for her to be able to speak clearly. If he wanted to pity her, fine. Hadn't she given up her dignity, her pride? Just this once, she was going to ask for something simply because she wanted it.

"There's a baron's son who visits me too frequently. I want him gone." She told him, watching carefully for his reaction. 

"You want to lose a patron? A noble one?" The Grand Duke asked, the suspicion evident on his face.

"Yes. He's too valuable a customer for Ilysia to deny him. But I don't care, I want him away from me." She hissed. The Grand Duke's face didn't give away whether or not he knew, or could guess at, her reasons. 

"You want him dead?" He asked. She hesitated at the blunt question.

"No. I just, I just want him to leave me alone." She whispered. The Grand Duke didn't say anything else about the matter, he simply stood and gestured towards the door.

"Well, then we'd better go speak with the dowager." He said. Reverie took a deep breath, she'd forgotten she would need permission, and followed him out of the room.