Chapter 130 - Chapter 130: Holiday Breakfast [Part One]

🕯️Content Warning:

~References to violence and torture~

~Political manipulation and espionage~

~Sexual humor and innuendo~

Nyx 

[Monday, Dreyrune 1, 4310]

—Nyx's Bedroom Suite—

I inspected my appearance one more time before going over to the dining room to have holiday breakfast with my family. 

Today is the anniversary of Solhara's unification under Regent Mazi's rule. So everyone was home for breakfast before they had to go out to attend events today. It was decided by a vote that I would not officially re-debut into society until my birthday in two months. Here on Asari, there are thirteen months in a year, with 28 days in each month. 

It was a welcome and grounding surprise when it was discovered that despite the extra month, my birthday is still technically the same, the 1st of the first month of the year. "Let me add one more accessory before you head out, mistress." Líma added crystal dragon clips to my hair, then stepped back. 

I liked the way it brought my whole outfit of wide-leg black pants, burgundy tank top, and black patterned vest together. I looked fierce with my makeup and high ponytail. 

Not knowing how my later visit to the Salgrave Manor will go, I chose burgundy runners for shoes so I can be quick on my feet. My fingerless gloves were ready to hand anybody their asses if things got messy. But let's not borrow problems that don't exist yet. For all I know, everything could go very smoothly. I knew the faint sense of foreboding was my instinct warning me to let go of this delusion, but I was going to stay positive until I couldn't anymore.

Zen's situation is thankfully simpler to deal with than mine for two reasons. First, while they are technically courting right now, they are not yet engaged. That leaves the Salgraves some social-political room to negotiate the details of this arrangement. They wouldn't even be courting if the Second Mrs. Salgrave hadn't coerced Zen into signing the paperwork soon after she began tutoring me. The second reason is the best for why this will be simpler. 

 Zen won't be breaking any of the current or future deals between the Ivys and Salgraves. Unless Säntiägo proves to be completely incompetent, Zen will only be switching which Ivy twin she will be possibly mating. Any current political-social entanglements will still be satisfied with this change. 

Sure, official documents will have to be changed or adjusted, but that will be less costly than completely having to cancel everything. According to Zen, Nina, the Second Mrs. Salgrave, is not happy about our plan to break up with Byron and has possibly already whispered lies in Mr. Salgrave's ear.

 But, I do not believe the Head of the top Crest House of our Enclave would not be on our side once he is made aware of how our plan will not only guarantee Zen's happiness but also the continued collaboration with the Ivys. Let's set aside all thoughts about Zen's situation for now. I first want to go enjoy a wonderful morning with my family.

As I walked with Líma to the Solvarin Palace, I heard soft music playing through the complex sound system. It plus the decorations everywhere really enhanced the surrounding festive mood of the place and the staff. Every staff member I crossed paths with had something to say about how wonderful the staff holiday breakfast was today. 

The scent of meats, bread, eggs and something indescribably delicious made me want to run to where my own breakfast was waiting. It pleased me that just as I wanted, the staff without much prompting shared palace complex gossip and interesting details about their personal lives with me. 

Because my family has been keeping me somewhat isolated, I've had to learn about capital and regional news through the staff. Because I fact-checked all the gained information in the beginning, I've learned a lot in a short amount of time.

Like how to organize information for future use. Whose information is real, rumor, or lies? Azrail was pleased to assist me and upgrade Líma with this additional function. He even offered a few subordinates for my use, but I declined, saying Líma was enough for now and that I wanted to build my network myself.

You would think the sun was out; his smile was so blinding by the end of our conversation. I still ended up with two temporary intelligence agents to use until my network was built. I learned I am weak like Nimra to Azrail's tear-filled eyes. 

Under the guidance of those agents, I was able to determine who among the servants I often interacted with were spies for others and who were our personal agents. The agents and spies tended to give me very detailed information when I asked about anything. Whether it was truth, rumors, or lies, the agents and spies alike tested me.

It's like receiving a strange puzzle each time I ask one of them a question. It is an interesting contrast to the everyday information I receive from the non-spy staff. Everything I hear from them is colored with their own perspective and opinions. It helps me better understand the views of the general population. 

 Over time, they will be conditioned to how and what I want to know from them. No rush in building connections. One day, it might be Will, a gardener, who might save my life or see something I need to know one day. Because I am building prestige and reputation with them, they will come directly to me when they might have otherwise said nothing at all.

When I asked Korran if he knew about the spies, he congratulated me on spotting them. He instructed me not to break their cover since most of them have been working in our home since Lux and Aspen's birth. The spies understood the limits of what they would be allowed to know. They also understood that should they cross the line and endanger the enclave, they would be forfeiting their lives. The tortured and dismembered spies of the Dillard Enclave were a reminder of where that line was—you do not use our love to hurt us. 

Later that same day, Keir informed me that he and Korran had invited one planted spy from each group to view the bodies. Keir's grin made him look very much like Korran in the mouth but crazy like Azrail in the eyes, when he told me the spies were given permission to let their masters know it was the Dillard Enclave who had crossed the line, and the Ajei Enclave would be calling in that debt until we were satisfied. 

Spoiler Alert: we would never be satisfied. Anyway, before I stepped into the small family dining room, I closed my eyes and took a moment to just feel the atmosphere of the space. The house seemed to carry the overlapping hum of voices, the clink of cutlery, and the scent of many dishes being kept warm. 

I could almost taste on my tongue the various foods I was about to consume. Savory broth, sweet pastries, crisp fruit, roasted meat, butter, tea, coffee, and a soft trace of my family's mingled scents seeping through the open door like a welcome I had waited a long time to feel. 

I walked in and took the open seat between Aspen and Keir. Everyone wished me a good morning and asked me how I was feeling in ten different ways. I just smiled and responded to each inquiry. Once everyone had gotten an answer and my two cousins had come around the table to give me warm hugs, they all returned to eating and talking. 

As I dished food onto my plate with Keir and Aspen's help, I took the chance to observe my family. Nimra sat at the head of the table like the elegant matron she was in a blue pantsuit with no shirt underneath her blazer. 

She is wearing less than me yet somehow I still feel underdressed. Nimra looks hot and Azrail apparently thinks so as well. I don't think his eyes have strayed from her exposed chest much.

 Azrail, was sitting to Nimra's left, lounging in his chair with the air of a man who had every intention of behaving badly the moment anyone gave him an opening. When I could not hold back an amused giggle, it drew his attention. He winked at me and blew me a kiss. With a flick of his finger, tea, juice, and six pieces of bacon appeared around and on my plate. I blew him a kiss back, then I dug into my food. 

When a plate of country ham and waffles appeared near me, I traced the essence to the other end of the table where Korran smiled. He gestured to the plate before turning his attention back to Uncle Cor. They were speaking quietly about something that sounded technical enough to make Lux's eyes glaze over. Well, it's either the conversation or he is daydreaming about Zen again. It really took some serious negotiating on both mine and Zen's parts to have him not come with me today. We appreciate his good intentions, but him coming would turn this into a political mess it doesn't have to be. 

Aunt Zira was seated beside Uncle Cor, amused in that patient way I've come to associate with her when her family was three steps away from getting on her nerves. I suspected it had something to do with Uncle Hael making a city of food on a large platter with Rhodri and Taen. Since I've sat down, she had already told them to eat their food, not play with it, three times. 

Glancing to my right, I noticed Aspen was halfway through cutting fruit into precise, almost insultingly even slices. This was a strong indicator that he was most likely nervous about Pavo being at one of the events the family was attending today. 

He can't control how things will play out, but he can cut his fruit into pieces small enough for a baby to eat. Keir is not helping Aspen's mood, or maybe he is by stealing fruit pieces off his plate, then pretending he hadn't when Aspen gave him a look. Whatever it took to get Aspen to chill out, I guess. 

Lux was seated on the other side of Aspen now, looking far too pleased with himself for someone who had been in a daze just a minute ago. When I saw him looking at his phone, I felt it was safe to assume he was either plotting something or had succeeded in said plot. Probably both. 

The more I got to know these incarnations of my brothers, the more connected as siblings I felt. We all got dual natures, and despite what most would assume, it is not all Azrail's fault. Nimra and Korran have twisted aspects too; they just choose to hide that side of them. Azrail likes to let his freak flag fly too much to hide his chaos. I noticed Venus was missing but then remembered she had to leave on an assignment and wouldn't be back until next week.

During the whole meal, Rakesh and Mrs. June moved through the room with the quiet efficiency of people who knew this family well enough to anticipate needs before anyone voiced them. I had long since given up trying to understand how Mrs. June always managed to appear at my elbow the exact moment I considered wanting more of anything I couldn't easily reach. I sat warm from the sunlight and from the simple, almost disorienting comfort of being here. For a moment, I just let the feeling settle in my chest.

Azrail and Hael were sniping at each other over who had taken the last honey-butter crescent. Taen was the actual culprit, but I was no snitch. Nimra wasn't a snitch either, so she kept her unimpressed expression solid without even lifting her gaze from her tea. 

Keir put another sausage onto my plate when he thought I wasn't looking. Aspen sighed while he spun a steak knife between his fingers so fast it was blurring. Korran's low chuckle from something Uncle Cor was saying wove together with all the other sounds to create pleasant background noise, which enhanced the peaceful mood I was nurturing.

This was what family was supposed to feel like. Not perfect. Not quiet. Not orderly. Safe.

"So," Lux said, leaning forward with all the smugness of a man watching something amusing, "little brother, do you want to explain why you keep feeding our little sister like she is a child? You keep doing this sweet act every meal and getting to be a bit much. She will be 22 soon, not 3." Keir narrowed his eyes at Lux as he dotted my mouth with a napkin very seriously. 

"She's still recovering. I'm just being extra attentive. I have very specific instructions from Venus to take great care of her sister while she is gone, or else she will deny me certain privileges. The woman has me addicted to her. I'm not getting denied that booty."

I almost fell out of my chair trying not to laugh at the ridiculousness of this conversation. "I am sitting right here," I said, giggling while pushing the napkin that had traveled from my mouth to my forehead. Keir pouted into his crimson shrimp and grits. I ignored him to take a sip of my tea.

"Yes, I see that, but the question I now direct to you, Little Wolf, is…why do you let him baby you so? You have been very adamant that we not baby you too much. So why, since the trial dinner, have you been letting him spoil you?" Lux inquired now, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed. 

What has he taken this morning to put him in a troublemaking mood? I was about to shut this sudden inquisition down when Keir opened his big mouth like the innocent man he really isn't.

"She likes the sausage," Keir said very proudly, then added another piece to my plate. I closed my eyes and waited for what I knew was coming. "How do you know your sister likes sausage?" Azrail cut in without missing a beat. Aunt Zira nearly inhaled her tea. Uncle Cor choked on his cereal. Uncle Hael's grin matched Azrail's. He leaned forward to hear Keir's answer better. My cousins looked confused, and everyone else was either glaring at Keir or Azrail.

I just kept sipping my still-warm tea. Do not engage. Do not engage with the mad man. It will encourage him, and this is not a topic I want to discuss with my younger cousins, let alone my parents at the breakfast table. "Azrail, don't start. You know that isn't what he meant." Aspen said, in the same tone one might use to address a particularly disappointing raccoon. 

"What?" Azrail asked innocently. "It's a valid question. My Little Queen might like the fish, chicken, or even a hybrid of everything. We shouldn't limit her choices."

I kept my head down and tried to control the laughter that wanted to spill out. Nimra poked Azrail in the head with her fork repeatedly until he stopped lounging because he was wincing in pain. Her ruby gaze was cool and warning-filled. "Ny. Behave." He raised both hands. "What did I say wrong? I'm innocent of whatever charge you are accusing me of, officer. I'm a reformed demon. A model citizen. Yes, I am."

We all looked at Azrail with derision. "No need to lie, Azrail. We understand you just want Nyx's choices respected. Whether she only wants sausage, fish, chicken, or a mix of everything, we support Nyx eating whatever pleases her." Lux acknowledged very seriously. 

Azrail dramatically got up and ran around the table to meet Lux in a hug, who had gotten up holding out his arms. "I knew my eldest son would understand me best. Everyone else misunderstands me, but not you. I love you third most. You are the best son." Azrail had tears and everything as he loudly proclaimed his feelings.