“We have arrived, Your Grace.” The knock on the window snapped Arianne out of her daze. “Thank you,” she said to the knight who escorted her on her outing. She turned to leave, only to pause. “Please keep my visit to the graveyard a secret from His Grace.”

The knight, although confused, merely nodded at Arianne’s words. After all, her words were like commands to the knights who had sworn their loyalty to the house.

“Mother!”

Two cheerful voices reached her ears. Turning towards the source, she found two identical little boys running to her, beaming with joy. Their violet hair glowed under the evening sun. She could see her own reflection in their amethyst eyes. It was a sight that warmed her heart—enough to push away the lingering image she had witnessed in the graveyard, if only for a short while.

“Hello, dears,” she gestured for the knight to leave them alone before kneeling and opening her arms to embrace them warmly. “Have you two been good while I was away?” she asked. Her voice was laced with the gentle warmth of a mother.

“Of course!” The two said in unison. They threw their tiny arms around their mother, hugging her as tightly as they could.

“Really? Then, could you tell your mother what you did today, dears?” She took the children’s hands in each of hers as they walked inside the mansion.

“We studied mathematics with Sir Cassi!” the oldest said.

“Sir Cassiander!” the youngest added, “He said we’re now old enough to practice etiquette!”

“But we’re with mother! We don’t have to practice the stifling etiquette with her!” the oldest argued.

The twins came to a stop in the middle of the hall.

There they went again, arguing over something trivial. Arianne could not help but find them endearing, although she knew she had to step in soon before their little quarrel escalated. It was easy to say something they might regret in the heat of the moment. Words, after all, were indeed powerful.

“Both of you are correct,” Arianne said. “Jaydenn,” she gently patted the eldest’s back to calm him down, “You’re right. You can be more comfortable with me.” She then turned to the youngest, mirroring the gesture she had made on the eldest, “Jaylenn is also right. Practice makes perfect, doesn’t it?”

The twins looked away from each other, seemingly still sulking. Arianne sighed. “Come on, boys, it’s about time for dinner. How about you show your mother etiquette on the dining table?”

Without waiting for a reply, she took each of their hands and was about to take a step toward the dining room when a familiar voice made her freeze in her tracks.

“You’re all here.”

The twins’ faces lit up. She did not have to turn around to recognize who had made her children beam like that. The faint smell of vetiver mixed with nutmeg was enough for her to recognize him.

“Father!” the twins exclaimed as they rushed towards their father, throwing themselves into his arms.

“Hello, little ones,” he said, catching them mid-air. He scooped them up, holding them close. A faint smile tugged at his lips. “Have you two been behaving yourselves?”

“Father, you’re asking exactly what Mother asked just before!” Jaydenn said. It was more of an exclamation than an answer.

“That’s because Father cares about us just like Mother does!” Jaylenn replied. It was their bickering all over again. Arianne, having recovered from her initial surprise at Aldwynne’s sudden appearance, approached the three. There was a slight hesitation in her steps. The domestic scene in front of her overlapped with the image of the man standing sorrowfully at the grave, leaving her unsure of what to do.

“… You’re back early,” Arianne said, though it came out more like a timid question than a proper greeting.

“The council meeting was cancelled,” Aldwynne responded. He gently set the twins down, his gaze shifting to her. He could easily read the unspoken question behind her words. That was just like him—to read people through the smallest gestures they did not even realize they had made. Sometimes she even wondered whether he could also read her mind just as effortlessly.

Arianne nodded. Her eyelids fluttered as she tried hard to act natural, fighting the urge to avoid his gaze. She parted her lips, about to say something, when Jaydenn’s cheerful voice cut through the brief silence. “Father! Does this mean you’re going to eat dinner with us?”

She breathed a sigh of relief at the interruption. After all, she had never felt this tense around her own husband, for she still held a mountain of questions but knew better than to voice them.

“Are you, Father?” Jaylenn followed. His eyes shone with hope. After all, their father had rarely been home these days.

Indeed, Aldwynne had been so swamped that he scarcely stayed at home for long.

For the past eight months, suspicious movements had been reported along the borders of the Kryndelia Empire, prompting an investigation that revealed that neighboring kingdoms had formed an alliance to wage war against the empire. This was nothing like any of the disturbances the empire had ever faced before. As a result, the nobles were frequently summoned to the palace, and Aldwynne was no exception. As one of the four Dukes of the empire, he had to lead council meetings by the Emperor’s side. Moreover, the Clarevant family had been serving the empire as its diplomat, making him the ideal person to lead the upcoming negotiations with the neighboring kingdoms.

“Very well,” Aldwynne said. “But on one condition. You two should show us what you have learned about table manners.”

The twins’ reactions could not be more different. Jaydenn groaned, perhaps already imagining the stifling etiquette he had to follow, while Jaylenn showed a triumphant smile at the eldest. “I told you I was right, Jaydenn!”

“Ugh, stop it, Jaylenn. Don’t you feel it suffocating?”

“I’m not sure,” the youngest said. “At the very least, Father is here to join us.”

“… You’re right,” Jaydenn sighed. He then turned to their parents, “Father, Mother, let’s eat!”

Arianne, having witnessed the whole exchange, had a fond smile on her face. She followed the twins along with Aldwynne.

This was just like the usual family interactions they had, which even made her question what she saw back at the graveyard. Was it an illusion? Most certainly not. She knew what she had seen, even if Aldwynne had never known she was there.

Well—for now, at the very least, she could think nothing of it and simply live her life with her loved ones.