she let her sleeve drop to cover the mark and waited.
"She bears the mark of the Luatha," the older woman grudgingly admitted.
She and the man beside her looked like they'd bitten into something sour.
"A branch House?" Came from one of the people arranged behind them.
The leader finally stirred. "No, she is from the main family."
"Liara," the older woman cautioned.
Liara’s head moved a fraction at the unmistakable chiding in the woman's tone but didn't react otherwise.
There was tension in their ranks, it seemed. Kira made note of it in case she had need of the information later.
Liara may have been the leader, but it wasn't a position she held without challenge. The older woman must have felt secure in her station to risk chastising the head of Luatha’s house in front of strangers.
Kira contained her own tsking sound.
It was one thing to air such grievances in private, but another to do so in front of potential enemies. Unwise.
It was the first breach in their façade, offering Kira insight into their inner dynamics.
"The tests will reveal the truth soon enough, Alma," Liara said.
"Wait until then," Alma urged. "There is a possibility we're wrong. As the seneschal, it’s my duty to protect our interests."
"Say the word and I can be on my way. You’ll never see me again,” Kira assured them with a small smile.
Alma opened her mouth, falling silent when Liara lifted a hand, an unmistakable gesture for quiet.
"That’s not possible. You're clearly of Luathan descent. I will not dishonor my House by turning away one of its blood," Liara said, her expression serene and composed, yet her lilac eyes were piercing, as she met Kira’s gaze. "Especially not for one who is cousin."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
A hushed shock filled the air.
After several surprised seconds while Kira blinked dumbly at Liara, she asked, "What sort of cousin?"
“Cousin” was a broad term. It didn't necessarily mean they were closely related.
Liara's mask cracked for the first time, the smallest glimmer of an emotion Kira couldn't place, flickering before it was hidden again. "You’re the daughter of my mother's sister."
“Ah, that sort of cousin,” Kira said blandly.
For some reason, Kira had assumed these people were loosely related to her in a distant sort of way—not people who shared a direct bloodline with her. Not individuals who may have actually known her parents at some point.
It should have occurred to her. It was an obvious conclusion, but she felt completely taken off guard.
Questions brewed in her mind, but Kira hesitated to voice them. It felt like she’d be giving too much power to these people, here, in this moment, to ask anything. She’d wait for a better opportunity, one where she didn’t feel like a poor relation begging for crumbs.
Liara didn't address Kira's ridiculous statement, instead turning her attention to Graydon. "You've delivered a child we thought lost to us. We thank you; it’s a debt we can never repay. You may be assured she and those of our branch House will be looked after. We won't keep you any longer. I'm sure the emperor will appreciate your presence once again."
It was a clear dismissal.
"Thank you, Overlord. However, I'm afraid we won't be on our way just yet."
"Oh?" she said sharply.
Graydon's smile was aggressive, daring those assembled to try to thwart him.
"The children’s futures are not set. Until they and their household are pledged to you, or the oldest has won the mantle of Overlord, I have an obligation to them. I will see it carried out, " Graydon said, the pleasantness of his voice at odds with the steely resolve in his face.
"Of course, they will be absorbed into one of our branch Houses," Alma argued.
"No, we won't. Joule's going to take the adva ka and become the head of our House!" Ziva shouted.
The woman's eyes got wide as she sputtered.
The man looked at Graydon. "What have you been filling their heads with?"
Graydon started to answer.
Ziva got there first. "We're not going to let you take our House. We're House Maxiim. We’ll always be Maxiim. Kira's going to help train Joule."
Kira choked in surprise as all eyes turned her way. That wasn't exactly what she'd said.
Graydon seemed amused at the predicament she found herself in. Alma’s mouth snapped shut and her spine straightened as she stared at the three. That was easy for him. He was no longer on the firing line.
"You'll see. Joule will become Overlord and we'll stay House Maxiim," Ziva proclaimed.
"Quiet, child," Alma snapped. "You should be grateful we're taking you in at all."
"Seneschal,"