The dinner table was frozen in silence once Willow made the comment that my father knew what one of my brother's powers was.
The gun and bullet duplication. The power he supposedly obtained once the massacre in the building had been dealt with. Since then, Willow knew he hadn't been in contact with my father.
Unless he had somehow acquired that power earlier, from the murderers themselves, and had been in contact with my father after that. Maybe to get the order to orchestrate that massacre.
Although Willow hadn't realized that aspect of the mystery yet. Perhaps my stiffened brother was considering that too right now.
Or perhaps the real reason Willow wanted to know his answer was the other scenario in which my father could know James's power.
If the shadow had been spying on us in that building, which we had already established since it gave William an injury that mirrored the one I had obtained in that building, and if my father was that very shadow, he could also be in the know.
Maybe the sacrilege of that notion was what had left my brother frozen.
Like Cassandra was too right now. What was going through her head?
Were they communicating telepathically right now?
What would their response be? I had to be prepared for anything.
Even violence.
So, against the background noise of the television broadcasting the situation in the capital after the president's assassination, the table awaited my brother's response.
And after a few seconds of consideration, he turned toward Willow and gave his response.
"We can't know why father sent us this gun. So I have no idea what he wants us to do with it, besides the obvious fact that it's meant to protect us."
Willow looked into my brother's eyes. I saw her calculating how far to push this.
But I saw her eyes fill with determination.
She was unperturbed by his sharpening gaze.
She would continue, and my brother saw it too.
"But if what Jack said is true, then I think we should consider how he would know."
"It's pointless. This only works against us."
"Damian never told anyone his power. Would he do that if he weren't hiding it on purpose?"
"Maybe he has other considerations for hiding it. Maybe if it's not physically powerful and it's therefore a better deterrent for hostile parties if they don't know what it is."
"…Or his power is the shadow that kidnapped Ruby."
My brother grimaced, and Cassandra stared wide-eyed at Willow.
The rest of the table was making themselves as small as possible.
But my brother continued speaking calmly, though now with an audible edge to his voice.
"That stalker has way more reason to do any kidnapping. If my father wanted Jack and Ruby back with him, he would call first instead of immediately kidnapping her."
"…Sorry to say, James, but Damian doesn't seem very rational to me. That gun and those bullets alone don't sit well with me."
"Listen, Willow, my father is the most rational man I know. And that shadow is anything but. It immediately kidnapped Ruby, attacked people close to Jack, attacked Jack himself, and apparently blew up his house. What's rational about that? It's all emotional. The sort of stuff a stalker would do, in my opinion."
"Your father is cunning too. Perhaps he's doing things this way to make it look like that stalker did it."
"Come on, what nonsense is that? In that case, maybe that stalker is making it seem like my father did it. Can you refute that?"
"…You know we can never prove anything we're speculating about, as well as I do. Regardless, my opinion, after everything I've heard, is that Damian is too suspicious with that coup going on and his actions thus far. And besides that, it wouldn't surprise me at all at this point if that shadow were also his. I've even started thinking that it's more likely than that stalker having that power, since he's already been interrogated and let go. And I think the majority at this table would agree."
Hearing that last part, my brother halted and did a quick sweep of the table. Then his gaze grew complicated, because Willow was right. Some more than other, but on their faces was all doubt about my father.
So, the only one still in his corner seemed to be Cassandra.
But my brother remained unmoved in his opinion and continued, now pivoting to me.
"You said that stalker had the police in his pocket."
"…My father already had the police in his pocket. You said he would give us a call first instead of kidnapping my mother. You're half right. He sent two officers through the police chief to our house shortly after she was kidnapped to pick us up. So either they stayed in his pocket, or that stalker somehow wrenched the entire department from under his fingers, which is unlikely in my opinion."
James took a moment to think while glancing at Elise and Ken, whose expressions had changed. They nodded at my statement, confirming my story.
Nevertheless, his gaze grew all the sharper.
"It doesn't make any sense. As if father would send officers to investigate his own kidnapping."
"…James, he didn't send them to investigate. He sent them to force me back to him."
My brother's eyes went wide. Cassandra's too. But I didn't relent.
"Do you honestly think I would step another foot in that house after everything he did to me and my mother? And Jane… I can't even imagine now. And you… what he did to you. Don't you see now how wrong everything was over there, especially since you started studying?"
His thoughts turned inward for a moment, searching for a defense. But I knew what defense was coming before he started speaking.
A whole religious spiel that has been ingrained in him since childhood.
"…All father did to us was to make us competent, ready to face the future. To face the people who want to put our commoner father and the rest of his family in their place, where they belong. Back where they have nothing, starving every day, fighting for scraps so they have less competition. They want to be rid of the man who is actually helping the poor of America and giving them a chance. Or are you saying the woman sitting next to you didn't deserve the opportunity my father gave her?"
I glanced at Cassandra, who was staring between James and me with her poker face. An ironic one, since that face had been developed to train me. And I had been trained so well that I could see right through it, at the guilt and conflict she was trying to hide.
"My father's ideology aside, my qualm with him is how he mistreats others."
"And how has he mistreated you, then? Jane and I endured. You're the only one who didn't and left."
"…You want to know how he mistreated me? I'll tell you. …No, I'll show you."
James raised an eyebrow, but then I saw doubt cross his face as he saw Cassandra's poker face finally crack.
And at that moment, I showed him the words.
'Look through my eyes, then.'
He received them, but didn't know what to do with them.
So he looked at Cassandra and exchanged telepathic words with her.
And after a few seconds, he focused back on me.
From his face, I knew he would do it.
I described what he was seeing out loud the moment he saw it.
"I can't even see people properly anymore."
My sentence shocked the whole table.
And beyond the shock of seeing the actual sight through my eyes…
My brother became horrified.
He touched his face involuntarily, as if to see if it was still there with all the details.
And he glanced to his right, at Willow and Ken, who were also within my sight.
…I closed my eyes and exhaled. I wouldn't put him through more.
The table was silent for a few seconds.
Until I heard my brother speak again, but now he had doubt in his voice.
"What… what happened to you? Was… was your mother in that rough a state when you left?"
I opened my eyes again and looked straight at my brother, barely managing to suppress my anger at that suggestion.
"This started long before that. This is what our father did to me. And what he did to you… you're too scared of him to even realize what he's capable of."
"That's not true. That's not… I'm sorry. But maybe you should see someone about that?"
"…What about Jane? I spoke with her yesterday. Are you saying she's fine too?"
My brother shivered and looked away from me. Cassandra shifted uncomfortably too.
"What about you, Cassandra? How has our sister been developing over these years since I've been away?"
"…Ms. Jane is… She'll be fine. You too. You will be fine too," she answered through her guilt.
"…So she's not fine now. And don't pretend she will be. You've seen her paint. There will be nothing of Jane left once Father is done with her."
Cassandra looked down, and I looked at James again, who had balled his fists.
"That's me and Jane already intended to be psychologically ruined, and you still believe you aren't affected at all, brother? Think about it. You've been away at your university for a while now. You've seen normalcy, just like I have these past years. All I ask is that you realize that what our father did to us wasn't normal at all. And if he's capable of that, what else is he capable of?"
My brother started grinding his teeth.
…Should I push it further?
My right arm was touched.
I looked to the side at Elise, who was holding my arm now.
"Um… I know your family situation is complicated, but perhaps we should let it be for now? It's late, and we're all agitated. Maybe we can continue with something else and come back to this later?" Elise asked carefully.
"…Yeah. You're right, thanks."
Elise nodded at me, and I gave a brief smile before looking seriously at my brother again. He had regained some of his calm due to the interruption, and also looked slightly grateful to Elise for intervening.
"Anyway, I don't trust father, due to the past and all the suspicious things going on right now. So, I want to keep him out of the loop until we find my mother, which brings me to you," I started, now looking at Cassandra, who looked at me seriously.
"I wanted to ask: besides assisting us, did my father also ask you to communicate back to him about our developments here, or give you any other instructions?"
"…He did."
James stared wide-eyed at Cassandra, as did Willow and Ken, because all three of us had heard father say over the phone that he wouldn't be available to contact in the upcoming days.
"Personally, to him? And at what intervals? Have you already been in contact with him?"
"No, not personally. …Sergio's power apparently gives us secure communication lines, so I texted him when I arrived and just as I saw James arriving. And I'm to call him around every twelve hours and give a report about our developments here."
"Were you instructed to do it behind our backs?"
"No. I've just been instructed to do it personally and truthfully. So… I haven't mentioned it yet, since it hadn't come up, and I wanted to determine first if you would all let me."
"…And what if I find it too risky for you to make that call and won't let you?"
"Then Sir Damian will believe something has gone horribly wrong here, so he'll send more colleagues here, among other options, he told me."
"…Alright. Then I'd like you to give a false report, which we'll discuss beforehand. That would be—"
"I apologize, Sir Jack, but I can't go along with that request."
…I blinked a few times and stared at Cassandra's straight face in confusion.
"Why? Don't tell me that after everything we discussed at this table, you haven't got any suspicion at all. Not to mention that you could be listened in on by that shadow while giving that report, so you would put both my father and us potentially at risk with that."
"I believe that, just as we've done now, you can certainly think of countermeasures against being overheard. And also, all the suspicions we've discussed are just speculations, without any proof. I can't lie to your father or leave him in the dark based on that."
"…Where is your proof, then, that my father had nothing to do with that coup, doesn't have that shadow as his power, and that it's therefore perfectly safe for us to contact him?"
"I don't have any proof, but I know your father would never do anything related to that."
"Oh? Then tell me, because I'm curious whether what comes out of your mouth next will be speculation, if you supposedly know for sure."
…Instead of answering immediately, I saw the gears in her head spinning as she concocted a tale.
But I also saw in her eyes that she knew there was nothing substantial that would convince me, just as I was trying to convince her.
So I saw her consider a different approach.
One that was the worst for me, and the one she settled on.
She started speaking from her heart.
"Sir Jack. I can imagine that, regarding your mother's situation after falling out with your father, and also your qualms with how you were raised, you would harbor no love for Sir Damian. But let me say, as someone who helped raise you and knew your mother personally, that your father and mother always wanted the best for you. Your mother, when we smoked together while she was over, Ms. Ruby was always proud of you when she heard how smart and capable you were becoming. She wasn't privy to the details, and neither were we servants regarding the results, but since Damian, with the help of experts, devised your experimental upbringing. We all had the trust and confidence that it was for a good purpose. And seeing what all three of you have become, we servants are all proud of you too. Only, of—"
"Proud?! You're proud of how you raised him?!" Elise suddenly yelled with indignation.
I turned around in my seat and looked at Elise, who was looking past me and staring daggers at Cassandra. The servant was shocked and surprised by the interruption.
But she recalibrated quickly and continued her explanation.
"Ms. Elise, I understand your misgivings. I have developed them too, after seeing through Jack's eyes and my recent interaction with his sister. As I was about to say, since the children's upbringing was innovative and experimental, we knew there could be psychological side effects. But those can be remedied, which I sincerely hope will be done."
"How?! …His brother looked horrified. How can you… how can you make him see people properly again?! And what about all the rest?! He's ridden with guilt and… and he constantly puts himself in harm's way. How can you—"
"I apologize, I… don't know about the rest… but regarding his sight, he sees you as he should, Elise. I think your support has already provided tremendous value for Sir Jack, and with more time and understanding, I'm sure he will improve even further," Cassandra kindly said to her with a disarming smile.
"…That's… I… I'm glad for that. But that doesn't make it right that it happened in the first place! What if he—"
"Elise."
She halted upon me calling her name.
"Thank you for standing up for me, but I'm fine. I don't blame Cassandra or the rest of the servants, and now is not the time to bring this up. We can talk about it later, okay?" I interrupted her with a soft smile, trying to get the conversation back on track.
She looked at me empathetically, but then nodded and focused on Cassandra again.
"I apologize. Jack's right; I shouldn't have taken it out on you."
"No, I understand. And I'm glad that Sir Jack has found someone who cares for him like you do. And my hope is that, over time, when Sir Jack's mental state is more stable, you and Jack can look back on his upbringing with appreciation for the good results, despite the inconveniences and struggles it has also brought."
…Elise stayed silent, holding back her misgivings, and started looking at me with soft eyes again. So it was my cue to continue the conversation and dissuade the servant of the mistaken beliefs she held about my father's intentions.
"Cassandra, I understand where you're coming from. I'm sure you've been given explanations and had all your questions answered about our upbringing by my father or whoever developed it with him. But I want to ask: were you also told that these horrible side effects, which you expect to be cured, weren't the whole point of our upbringing?"
The servant's eyes were wide open. That had caught her off guard.
"I… of course you would be helped with—"
"Were you instructed to do that? If I developed mental issues, like my sight or other people's concerns, were they supposed to be mitigated? I recall being subjected to punishment if I didn't do a good job and went along with everything."
"…You never told us anything regarding your mental state, and we hadn't noticed. I'm sure we could have helped you earlier if that had been the case. And during the last half year you were with us, after that accident, we were instructed to ease up until you were feeling better again."
…Accident? …ACCIDENT?!
IS THAT WHAT THAT BASTARD TOLD HER HAD HAPPENED TO HER?! JUST AN ACCIDENT?!
Barely managing not to lose my composure, I looked at my brother too.
He had reacted to the word 'accident' too.
With pity. He… he didn't know. He really had told my brother and Cassandra that it was just an accident.
…Of course he did. Why would he ever tell them my father had forced me to murder someone?
…? I suddenly saw Willow also looking confused between me, James, and Cassandra.
Oh, she had caught on too.
…I couldn't rebut this now and derail the conversation again.
I didn't want to think about her now…
I set my sight on Cassandra and spoke before anyone else could.
"You didn't answer my question. Tell me, Jane, how did he react to her hyperrealism talent?"
"…He was pleased, of course…" she said, looking away.
"…And impressionism, that was your idea. Father disapproved, didn't he?"
"He didn't. Just… Sir Damian said that could wait until later."
"And you defied him and practised it anyway with her in secret. Because you know the reason as well as I do. Why don't you spell it out for us, or should I?"
"I… I…"
"Because at the end of her upbringing, there won't be a person left who can express herself. That's the psychological side effect my father wants to maintain, and that you, out of guilt, are trying to cure behind his back."
…Cassandra had no response. She was just biting her lip now. She had even stopped chewing her gum.
And a side glance at James showed me that he was rattled too.
Good. More material for him to think through so he can free himself.
…That would be all. Now I could ask for her phone and finally bring the day to an end.
"So, having said all that, since you're already going behind Father's back regarding Jane because you have doubts about his good nature too, I'm sure you would agree to falsifying your reports to him until we have definitive proof that he isn't involved in anything."
…Cassandra slowly looked at me again, with an answer in her eyes.
"I apologize, Sir Jack. I can't falsify my reports to him."
…Huh? W-what?
I stared at her in disbelief. I wasn't even sure if I could maintain my expression.
Did I have to use force? What made her so adamant?
…No, I could give it one last chance.
"…I don't understand. You see the risk involved, right? You know that, with Jane and me, my father has hidden things from you? Yet your trust in him is still unwavering. Tell me, am I missing something?"
She stared at me blankly, slightly confused, as if her refusal were obvious. But she nevertheless tried to clarify.
"Sir Jack…, I'm sure you have your own opinion about Sir Damian that leads you to think that. But for me…, your father has given me nearly everything I have and want in my life. My family was poor… but through his charity, we got to eat and not end up on the street. And once I discovered my talent and passion for art and your father took notice, I was offered a job at your household, and even had my art degree paid for. Not to mention Sir Damian's connections, which allow me to promote and sell my art, supporting my family back home. …I know that right now there is a lot of suspicion surrounding Sir Damian, with the coup, with Jane, and with you, but if it's suspicion, I can't break the trust Sir Damian has in me, because your father that I know has warranted my trust time and time again throughout my life. I hope you can see that too, Sir Jack, and understand my stance on this."
…Damn it. What's loyalty worth if you can't even think for yourself anymore?
No…, worse… she is thinking for herself, and still choosing to trust my father despite it all.
What now? I still couldn't give her free rein to communicate with my father.
I took a look around the table. After Cassandra's speech, everyone seemed a bit more sympathetic toward her, though still doubtful.
What was more important here? Our trust in each other, or our potential safety?
…But what about my trust? As long as Cassandra was like this, I couldn't build trust with her or count on her. She would never go along with me to stop my father.
…Proof. She wanted not speculation, but proof.
And I might have proof, or rather, Cassandra might have proof of my father's involvement in the coup.
Not the bullets, or that gun she carries…
What she might have seen back in that house since the Whiteout.
Although, if I'm wrong, I would look like a fool first and foremost, and Cassandra might subsequently lose a lot of trust in me.
But if I need to take a risk about something anyway, it might as well be for something from which I would gain the most benefit.
So I tried one last time to convince her. In preparation, meanwhile, I subtly looked up some things on my phone under the table.
"Cassandra, my gripes with my father might influence my opinion without my awareness, as you said, but besides that, I don't deem it safe for you to communicate back home because, apart from my father, the household could be compromised in other ways."
"…What do you mean?" she asked with a serious look.
"You said a lot of people visited. One of them might have threatened father and forced him to involve himself in the coup attempt, for example. That's why he might have given you those suspicious guns and bullets, to make us aware of it."
Cassandra subtly shifted in her seat, with a slight trace of doubt now on her face.
"Did any of them look suspicious to you? Perhaps someone from the military, or did you overhear any suspicious discussions related to all this?"
"…Sorry to say, Sir Jack, but none of them wore military uniforms. And discussions with Sir Damian took place behind closed doors."
"…Closed doors? You were protecting him, right?"
"Yes, but having a room full of armed guards isn't exactly conducive to peaceful negotiations. Of course, I watched the meeting secretly through the visitor's eyes, so I could blind them immediately should they try something. And we had other safety measures in place. Luckily, there weren't any incidents to speak of. And all those meetings, I had no audio of course, but there weren't really any suspicious documents involved that I could read regarding anything of a coup attempt. Mostly, it looked to me like Sir Damian discussed and gave advice regarding the new situation we all find ourselves in now. "
"…Alright, but that means you've seen everyone who visited the mansion and could identify them by sight?"
"…Yes. To the best of my abilities, of course."
"Then I have a few pictures of people who could be involved in the coup on my phone. I want you to—"
"W-wait?! You have what on your phone?!" Cassandra exclaimed, her poker face finally cracking, and the rest of the table looked shocked too.
But undeterred, I took my phone out from under the table and showed her the slideshow of various people that I had prepared while talking to her.
"Have you seen this person visit the mansion since the Whiteout?" I asked while showing her a picture of a generic, aged, bald man.
"I… no. But how do—"
"And this one?" I asked before swiping to the next picture, of a middle-aged woman with a recognizable face and hairstyle.
"…"
Cassandra suddenly looked more doubtful. Not because she recognized her, but…
"…That woman wasn't at the house… but she… looks recognizable to me. Who are these peo—"
"And this one?"
Cassandra looked again…
And froze completely at the picture of a younger, attractive-looking man in his mid-thirties with curly black hair.
…It's really true, then. My father really orchestrated the coup to end that way.
…America is finished.
"I… I recognize him," Cassandra squeaked out in disbelief, shocking the whole table.
"Alright, and this one," I said, unperturbed, while swiping to the next picture of another older, balding man.
"Wait, who was that just now? Who are these people you're showing me?"
"You might recognize more. I need you to focus until we've gone through them all. At the end, I'll tell you."
Cassandra looked into my eyes with a slightly scared expression, but since I wasn't giving anything away, she swallowed her fear and continued looking.
She didn't recognize this man, nor any of the other twelve people I showed her. None of them had visited the mansion, although Cassandra thought some of them looked familiar.
Once I announced I was done, with only one person Cassandra had been able to place at the mansion, the whole table looked at me with fear and anticipation.
So I started explaining… what my father hoped to achieve with the coup.
"What these people have to do with the terrorists on TV… well, they aren't the terrorists themselves, but they are related to their actions. You see, the terrorists threatened to shoot the next acting president every twelve hours, coincidentally the interval you were asked to report back to the household in, until their demands are met. Which means tomorrow morning the Vice President gets shot, then another twelve hours later the Speaker of the House. And in three days' time, the Secretary of Defense will have been shot, which means the Attorney General will be acting president. The same person you just identified as having met with my father, Cassandra," I said, showing her the government website where I had found the picture, along with the person's current cabinet position. The site also contained all the other people from the current administration whom I had shown her.
…Her eyes went wide, along with those of everyone else sitting at the table.
And in their eyes were both shock and confusion. Cassandra was the first to ask for clarification.
"I… I don't understand. You're saying the Attorney General orchestrated the coup. That doesn't make any sense. The military wants to rule by themselves, right?"
"Their rule wouldn't be legitimate. They wouldn't last. I think the coup will fail, or the terrorists will give up once the person who orchestrated it becomes acting president."
"How can the Attorney General even orchestrate something like that?! And what's Sir Damian's involvement, then?!"
"…Assuming my father hasn't orchestrated it himself, he would certainly gain a lot from it. Once the new Attorney General becomes acting president, the position he previously held would be left empty for my father to naturally fill. Of course, he's from the other party and the senate has to approve him, but I'm sure in the moment of crisis things would go smoothly for my father who already demonstrated his competence as Attorney General previously under a different administration. And also if the other people who visited the house and my father had meetings with were part of the Senate, but it would take too long to check that right now. Additionally, my father has a lot of connections from his previous stint as Attorney General. The DOJ, for example. He could also know some people in the military through that. Maybe that's where he got all those sanitized guns from too and why someone would involve him in this."
"Sir Jack, this is ludicrous?! You think Sir Damian would meet with the Attorney General to orchestrate a coup so he could be Attorney General again?!"
"Yeah. What else would they meet for?"
"To ask the DOJ or the government for assistance in your mother's kidnapping?! To give him advice regarding new policy creation since the Whiteout?! Anything more sensible than—"
"Did my father tell you that? What he was meeting him and everyone else for?"
"No… no…"
"You think that if it were for a good purpose, he would be eager to tell anyone. And naturally, if all those people who visited him were there to help him prepare for a coup, it's no wonder he wanted everything behind closed doors."
"…Sir Jack, what you're saying is, who would believe something like that?"
"Everyone at this table? Except you and James, it seems."
That made her eyes go wide again, and she did look around, only to see in everyone's expressions that they indeed could see the logic in my story, although naturally some were more convinced than others.
And Cassandra's gaze after her scan stayed lingered on Willow's, because James was also looking at her to see what she had to say.
And Willow, catching on, gave them both what they wanted.
Her unbiased opinion.
"Sorry to say, Cassandra… James. I never really had a favourable opinion of Damian. From my outsider's perspective, seeing how he treated his children and Ruby, especially while he's married to someone else, and considering all the scandals… it feels to me like he has only his own interests in mind and doesn't mind getting his hands dirty. So Jack's theory seems in Damian's character to me.
…Cassandra looked shocked. James looked a bit betrayed and almost disbelieving.
It was enough for him to offer a rebuttal.
"Willow. Father tried to get you back to your country all this time. He had your best interests at heart since the Whiteout. How can you say that about him?"
Willow looked at James with an exaggeratedly offended yet sad expression.
"Um, James? He sent his own son to seduce me, or have you forgotten?"
"W-what?!"
Now James looked stunned and shocked before he continued to stammer.
"Th-that's not—"
"Don't deny it. I realized from the very beginning that you were showing interest in me. This isn't the first time this has happened in my life. I'm always on the lookout for such stuff."
Now my brother looked aghast, then confused… and unsure of himself.
"Why… why are you with me, then?" he said in a weak voice.
"Um… because I like you, of course."
…James averted his eyes… and… turned a bit… red…
Wow… that's… unexpected. She really wasn't kidding when she said she had James tamed.
Willow looked pleased with herself but nevertheless tactically kept the conversation going.
"But despite that, don't tell me how I should feel about your father. I'll decide that for myself. And coming back to why we were having this conversation in the first place, like Jack says, there's way too much suspicious stuff going on around Damian for me to feel comfortable letting you spill everything that's happening here, Cassandra. That's my opinion."
…Cassandra looked at James for help, but my brother seemingly couldn't offer her any at the moment. So Cassandra looked around the table one last time, then deep within herself, trying to resolve the conflicted feelings she was experiencing.
And then, suddenly, I saw her face light up with a revelation, which she immediately shared with the rest of us.
"I apologize. But regardless, I don't intend to misinform Sir Damian. It's not because I completely disregard everyone's suspicions, but more because if Sir Damian is compromised in any way by someone, and they discover that we have suspicions here and start falsifying things, the situation could escalate badly for Sir Damian. And despite that, the situation with Ruby is still separate from the coup, and any information I can pass along might help their side find her."
…The whole table was silent. So was I, because what she said… sounded reasonable.
Despite everything… should I push it and take it to a majority vote, then? That would likely force Cassandra to yield despite her stubbornness.
…Or not. What then?
"Jack, I believe we should let Cassandra do what she promised."
I looked at my brother, who had regained his composure and was suggesting that to me.
But I also saw something sharp in his eye.
Not aimed at me, but at Cassandra?
…He had been eyeing her for a while now, now that I think back on it.
"Why is that?" I asked him.
"I agree with what Cassandra just said. It's also a risk not to tell them the truth and for them to discover it. But besides that, you wouldn't mind us listening in while you report. But I want you to also ask questions yourself, which we'll prepare beforehand. For example, whether my father organized all those meetings himself, to determine if the household really isn't compromised in some way. If we figure that out first, we can determine if it's safest to continue speaking honestly or we should hide our situation here."
"No. You can secretly listen in, of course. And the questions I can ask, if I'm allowed to, are a good idea. We can determine what's best for Sir Damian that way," Cassandra said, looking thankfully at my brother.
"Alright, well?" James asked me.
'Play along,' he simultaneously sent to me mentally, leaving me no room to object.
'Had he caught on to something?' I thought briefly while pretending to think things through before responding.
But I couldn't determine what, even though I could tell he did have something on his mind.
Or how Cassandra's change in opinion seemingly had way less resistance with my brother than with me…
…Fine, then. It was certainly not my preferred outcome, but my brother's and Cassandra's trust in me was more important than managing the risk of those phone calls.
"Alright. James makes a good point. If we can listen in and you're willing to ask questions to determine the situation back there, I wouldn't mind telling him what's going on here truthfully as long as it's safe."
"I see. Thank you, Sir James, Sir Jack," Cassandra said with visible relief.
And afterwards, the tension drained from the table, and with that, everyone started noticing their fatigue.
It was time to end the day… finally.
"Okay. Well, having discussed all that, I think we should end things here and rest up for tomorrow morning. Regarding the coup… we should keep track of developments, so we should watch the news together at 10 tomorrow morning, hopefully to see that it has ended. As for my mother, tomorrow we will start, among other things, with acquiring food, which I have a few ideas for. But everyone should also think on their own about how best to search for my mother and acquire food. Let's say… we'll all discuss this at 9 AM tomorrow over breakfast and make plans for after seeing the news. I'll be up before then, so if you want to discuss something with me personally, feel free. Now, I would like to take a shower and retire for the night, with the arrangements we discussed earlier through Cassandra's power… so…," I finished, looking expectantly at Elise, whom I wanted to help me with showering.
But… it seemed she had something else on her mind.
"Actually, Dad and I haven't prayed to Mom yet today. I understand you're tired, but maybe your brother can help you if you can't wait?"
I blinked a few times. But I understood. Their daily ritual was important to her, after all.
…Why did I feel disappointed, then? Because I had to wait a bit before showering?
…Why did I want to wait? I could go immediately while James helped me undress, then retire.
But I still wanted to talk to Elise tonight before going to sleep, so… maybe I should wait for her.
Or… join her in that ritual? …Not that I believed in that stuff, but maybe Elise would appreciate it?
…And well, I wouldn't mind, really, saying a few things to her mother.
"Actually, can I join you? I have a lot to tell your mother too, after all."
Now Elise started blinking, but then she gained a beaming smile.
"Of course! I'm sure she would appreciate it! Oh, you don't mind, Dad?"
"Of course not. Feel free to join us, Jack," William agreed with a kind and appreciative smile.
With arrangements and plans made, I was about to get up from my seat…
"Actually, can I join too?"
Elise, William, and I all turned our heads with blank expressions…
Toward Willow, who looked innocently unperturbed about asking to join a very personal family ritual.
…Damn my training that made me see her hiding that curious and mischievous grin.