When I arrived where Margery was, I saw her from behind, observing the rose bushes with an elegance that concealed her danger. She moved with a calmness that told me she had already sensed my presence long before I opened my mouth.
However, my composure completely fell apart when I noticed she wasn't alone. Sitting at the tea table, with a bright smile that contrasted with Margery's seriousness, was Sera.
"Cassian! You finally showed up!" Sera exclaimed, jumping to her feet to greet me.
I froze for a fraction of a second. Seeing Sera there, so innocent, while the scent of her own grandmother still clung to my shirt, was an irony bordering on masochistic. But it was Margery's gaze that truly put me on guard. She didn't turn around immediately; she simply held her teacup, waiting for the exact moment to strike.
"You're late, Cassian," Margery said in a dangerously soft voice, finally turning to dissect me with her eyes. "And you carry a rather… unusual air of agitation. Where have you been?"
Unaware of the storm about to break, Sera stepped closer to me and wrinkled her nose when she was only a few centimeters away.
"That's strange…" Sera murmured, confused. "You smell very sweet, like sandalwood and roses. That's a woman's perfume, isn't it?"
Those words seemed to spark something dangerous in both of them. The air in the garden suddenly grew heavy—the kind of silence that comes before a storm.
"Well, well… it seems my dear little brother has finally found someone to replace his sister," Margery said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. Her tone was sharp, laced with a false lightness meant to corner me.
I looked at her with amusement, staying calm even as her eyes dissected me. At the same time, I tried to come up with a believable excuse that wouldn't sink me further into this minefield.
"Don't be so dramatic, Margery," I replied, downplaying the situation. "You know it's not that easy to replace anyone here."
Sera, meanwhile, fell silent, looking at me with a mix of suspicion and something that resembled a flicker of jealousy she couldn't quite hide.
I sat down at the table as if nothing had happened and poured myself a cup of tea, breaking the interrogation-like atmosphere.
"If you're done analyzing fragrances, you should try this tea. It's far more interesting than sandalwood and roses," I said with a relaxed smile, looking at both of them. "Besides, Margery, don't tell me you came all the way here just to snoop on my schedule. Knowing how much you enjoy drama, I thought you'd bring some juicy gossip from the capital to entertain us."
Sera let out a small laugh, momentarily forgetting her suspicion, while Margery raised an eyebrow, amused by my audacity.
"How modest, Cassian. As if you didn't know half the campus can't stop talking about you after the exam," Margery replied, relaxing in her chair. "But you're right, the tea is passable. By the way, have you heard what happened to the history professor? They say he fell deeply asleep in the middle of class; apparently someone swapped his tonics for sleeping draughts. A complete disaster."
I shook my head as I set my cup down, entertained by the gossip.
"Given how monotonous he is, it's a wonder the students stay awake at all. His own boredom probably defeated him," I said indifferently.
Sera giggled, nodding right away.
"That's true!" she exclaimed, still laughing. "It was chaos. They say all the students left the classroom before they could wake him up, and now the faculty is searching everywhere for the culprit. I don't know who did it, but it's obvious the second-years are really bored."
Margery nodded, letting the topic die there as she enjoyed the afternoon. For a moment, the interrogation about Sylvia's perfume seemed forgotten, buried beneath trivial chatter.
"Anyway," Margery continued, changing the subject with elegance, "beyond the hallway dramas, I heard that this year's celebrations for the Emperor's birthday are going to be massive. They say delegations will come from everywhere."
"Yes! Even people from the Lucratis Empire will be there," Sera interrupted, her eyes shining with excitement. "They say there will be everything: street fairs, exhibition duels, banquets that last for days, and of course, the grand gala ball. It's going to be insane, Cassian."
I looked at my teacup with a slight grimace, trying to process the scale of the event she was describing.
"I suppose it'll just be a lot of people moving from one place to another," I commented with a calm smile, not wanting to sound too bothered. "That much ceremony gets exhausting before it even begins."
Margery let out a soft laugh, looking at me with that knowing sibling complicity.
"Don't see it as a boring obligation, Cassian," she said. "Think of it as an excuse for the three of us to be there together, watching the spectacle from afar and making fun of nobles who take everything too seriously. Besides, Bethany and Rosalind will be there too; it's been a while since we all spent time together."
She looked at me with a glimmer of genuine enthusiasm—something she didn't often show.
"Even our father will come with our stepmother. It'll be one of those rare occasions when the family is complete," she added, trying to pass her optimism on to me. "It'll be fun, I promise."
I met her gaze and couldn't help but let out a small smile. Margery always found a way to make things sound less like an obligation and more like a different kind of afternoon between us.
"Alright, if it's an official family gathering, I suppose I can't miss it," I replied, which finally eased the atmosphere completely.
Sera nodded enthusiastically, already imagining the display the most important families of the realm would put on during the Emperor's birthday. However, in the middle of her excitement, I noticed her smile falter for a second. Something about our family unity, that sibling bond Margery and I shared, seemed to suddenly weigh on her.
I remembered that for her, family gatherings didn't mean warmth or escape plans, but cold protocols and the constant pressure of living up to a lineage that barely acknowledged her.
"Is something wrong, Sera?" Margery asked, noticing the shift in her mood with her usual sharpness.
"No, it's nothing…" she replied, forcing a smile again. "It just sounds nice that you're all together. My family… well, you know how they are."
I placed a hand on her shoulder casually, trying to ease her thoughts.
"Don't worry. If being with the Sterlings becomes unbearable, you can always say you have 'urgent matters' with us," I said, making a bit of the light return to her eyes.
…
On my way back after spending the day with Margery and Sera, I ran into a familiar face: Morgana Valois. She stood in the middle of the hallway, looking around as if urgently searching for someone. When she saw me, her eyes lit up; it seemed she had finally found her target.
"You're quite hard to find," she said, crossing her arms with that natural arrogance of the Valois.
I looked at her, puzzled. I didn't remember having enough interaction with her for her to be tracking me through the halls like this.
"What is it?" I asked, keeping my distance.
"I just wanted to meet you," she said, scanning me with a calculating gaze. "You've been on everyone's lips these past few days, Cassian. And coincidentally, my brother is hosting a banquet to close a few important business deals."
I looked at her without reacting. I knew that for the Valois, a dinner was never just about food; it was a negotiation table where competition was carved up course by course.
"A business banquet hosted by your brother?" I repeated. "I'm surprised you'd want to invite someone like me to a gathering of people so busy counting coins."
"Don't be modest. My brother is curious to see the man 'close' to Elizabeth. Consider it a formal invitation," Morgana stated with the confidence only money can give. "Influential partners and figures will be present—people even you would benefit from meeting. It wouldn't be wise to reject a gesture from the Valois at a time like this."
I let out an ironic sigh. It seemed today was "hunt down Cassian" day. First Valeria in the morning, then Sylvia at noon—though I had gone to her, she was clearly waiting for it—then Sera with Margery, and now this. Morgana was the one I understood the least; a small public appearance alongside Elizabeth didn't seem enough to justify this invitation.