“Perhaps,” Elania said, dabbing daintily at her lips with a napkin. She looked gorgeous as usual in one of her tight, black dresses, and for once had left her long, black hair unbound. “But even so, it must give you some measure of relief to finally know your father’s identity, regardless of whether or not you ever meet him.”

“It does,” I admitted. “It just sucks that I still have to keep this all under wraps.”

“The one thing you can take comfort in,” Rylan said as he mopped up some of the pot roast gravy with a hunk of bread, “is that your father didn’t willfully abandon you, or put that spell on you. I know the chances are low that the two of you would get along since he comes from such an uppity family, but maybe he’s not as much of an asshole as you always thought he was.”

“Maybe,” I conceded. I still didn’t love the fact that he’d knocked my mother up while pretending to be a human, and while engaged to another woman. But at least he’d never intended to create me as a by-blow, or abandon me to an uncertain fate.

“I hope things will settle down somewhat now that you’ve returned,” Comenius said. “I am very grateful your rescue mission was so successful, and that no one was severely hurt. And I am relieved Noria was recovered alive from that hellhole.”

“Me too.” I smiled, though it was a little strained. “I’m not sure if we should be celebrating yet, though. We still have that hearing to get past.”

“Ah, yes.” Comenius sighed, his cornflower-blue eyes filling with sadness as he turned to look out the window. “I visited Noria yesterday at the Enforcers Guild to see how she was faring. She is being treated as well as can be expected in a prison cell, no doubt because she is Annia’s sister. But Noria was very pale and tight-lipped, and would not speak much.” Frustrated, he ran a hand through his ash-blond hair. “I wish we could go back to when she was simply a carefree teenager who worked in my shop downstairs.”

“So do I,” I said, sadness pooling in my chest. I put down my fork, no longer quite so hungry, even though I’d only had one serving. “I have a feeling she’s not going to be working here again for quite a while though, Com. Likely not ever. Even if Iannis does go easy on her, she’ll still be facing some sort of punishment for what she did. He can’t just pardon her.”

“At this point in time, we must trust Noria to determine her own fate,” Elania said sagely. “She is a strong young woman, and will handle whatever happens in her own way.”