“Ella, may I present Lady Ogumi Clara, my mother, and consort of the Twilight Prince.” He nodded at Ella. “Haha ue, may I present Ella—”
He broke off, eyes widening as he realized that he did not know Ella’s full name. Had she ever told him? Or did he just not remember?
His eyes darted to his mother, who was frowning now.
“Stewart,” Ella said, smirking nastily. “Ella Stewart, of Strayhaven.”
“Strayhaven?” His mother asked, her eyebrows raised. “Where in the Four Kingdoms does it fall?”
“In Drakazov,” Ella said shortly.
“But your accent—it’s almost Merovian?”
“My father was Merovian,” Ella said. “He’s dead now,” she added, her eyes clouding over.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” his mother said, taking Ella’s hand in hers. “I know how hard it can be to lose a parent.”
And before Ryu’s disbelieving eyes, his mother began befriending Ella. And the most important thing was,Ella was responding. Her smirk was gone, and a gentle light shone in her eyes.
“Thank you,” she said softly.
His mother patted Ella’s hand. “Now, why don’t you tell me about yourself over a nice cup of tea?” She raised her eyebrows with a smile.
Ella nodded, smiling shyly. Ryu cleared his throat, and both of them looked at him as if they’d forgotten he was there.
“Haha ue, perhaps—”
“Oh, if you need to leave to take care of Court business, don’t let us keep you, darling.”
Translation: Leave us alone to our talk.
He knew when he was beaten. Ryu sighed, and acquiesced.
“Well then, I shall leave you to it,” he said, taking his leave of them with a short bow.
Mizuki and Hiroshi bowed to the human ladies as well, trailing in his wake, whispering questions that he wasn’t sure he knew how to answer.
A little while later, after a very convoluted explanation to his best friends, Ryu sat with his mother in her private chambers, discussing the intricacies of their next steps with Ella.
As he watched her sipping her tea, he couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of gratitude for his mother's unwavering support for everything he did.
He did feel a pang of guilt for how easily she decided to believe the best of him, but he pushed it away. Everything would work out in the end.
Now, his mother looked at him with a smile.
“Ryu, I believe we have found a way to provide Ella with the security she deserves,” Lady Clara said, her eyes shining with delight. “We will offer her a position within the Twilight Court, where she can continue to grow and find her place among our people. It will be an opportunity for her to thrive while remaining under our protection.”
Ryu blinked. His mother seemed to be thinking that Ella’s place here at the Twilight Court would bepermanent.
“That’s nice of you,Haha ue, but I am sure that once things settle down in her village, Ella would like to return—”
“Return?” his mother said sharply. “Even if you did it for noble reasons, Ryu-kun, youabductedthis human girl from her village. Do you really think she can go back and live among them in peace? She would be ostracized.”
Ryu shifted uncomfortably. Was it true? Had he irrevocably altered Ella’s life by bringing her along with him? He hadn’t been thinking when he’d gone to see her, the bond had been calling to him, and he’d felt her, across the distance between them—
His mother was watching him, a thoughtful light in her shrewd eyes. He shook himself. This was no time for dawdling.
“Thank you,Haha ue,” Ryu said warmly. “I can't express how grateful I am for your unwavering support and understanding.” He added, as an afterthought: “Ella’s life will be forever changed because of you.”
