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She responded by rolling her eyes and raising a finger. One warning. One very clear reminder.

He stared at the raised finger, then back at her face, his expression daring her to try. Are you threatening me, witch?

Ria’s mouth twitched. Yes.

He almost smiled.

Before either of them could continue their silent exchange, Korinnae spoke again. “Also, Uncle Asty, Granny Ismene says you’re not allowed to scare our guests.”

He blinked. “I did not scare anyone.”

“No, you didn’t,” Ligaya agreed.

Ria finally lost the battle and laughed.

“You find this amusing?” Asterion looked at her, feeling mildly betrayed.

“Very.”

But he refused to get sidetracked, and he was still not entirely convinced that Ria’s confidence in Ligaya was justified. The woman seemed perfectly pleasant, but pleasant was not the same as trustworthy. He had learned long ago that appearances meant very little, especially when magic and different kinds of beings were involved.

“So,” he said, looking toward Ligaya, “You’ll be watching Korinnae.”

“Yes.” Ligaya nodded.

“And you’ve done this before?”

Ria immediately gave him a look, but Asterion ignored it. Ligaya, however, seemed more amused than offended.

“Taken care of a ten-year-old minotaur calf with divine magic and a three-headed guardian dog?” she asked, glancing toward Cerberus, who lifted his head proudly at the mention of himself. “No. This is actually a first.”

Asterion’s eyes narrowed. “That doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.”

“Uncle Asty,” Korinnae gasped from the floor.

“What?”

“You’re being rude.”

“I am asking reasonable questions.”

Ria turned away, covering her smile with her hand, and he looked between the three of them with disbelief.

“I am surrounded by critics.”

“Yes,” Ria said, completely unhelpfully. “You are.”

Ligaya leaned back against the couch. “For what it’s worth, Elian warned me you would be protective.”

“He told you that?” Asterion’s eyes narrowed at the mention of Elian’s name.

He wasn’t entirely pleased that Elian had apparently predicted his behavior. Though, after a moment’s consideration, he couldn’t exactly argue with the assessment. He was asking questions. Very reasonable questions, in his opinion. Korinnae was his niece, and trusting someone with her safety was not a decision he took lightly.

“He said you would probably try to interrogate me.”

“I am not interrogating you.”

Ria raised an eyebrow.