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MY ANGER AND DETERMINATIONHAVEalways been stronger than my fear. To prevent my snapping at or verbally assaulting the man, I stay out of Eryx’s path, except when necessary. We undergo our lessons, always with Argus and Dyson present. I don’t push Eryx any more than I need to, with Argus’s warning still fresh in my mind. And Eryx seems, for once, not to be making a joke out of everything.

He can now sit and eat without giving me secondhand embarrassment. He manages to catch himself before swearing on a couple of occasions, though on others he seems to not even realize when foul words come out of his mouth.

We go over appropriate topics of conversation in the presence of both gentlemen and gentle ladies.

“How could you possibly know what is appropriately said when gentlemen are alone?”

“When are you going to learn that I know everything?”

When we’re not in the midst of lessons, I try to do more snooping, but I’m no closer to learning where he’s sleeping or why he’s being blackmailed.

Thankfully, I do not dream of the man again. It’s bad enough dealing with him during the daytime.

As the day of my sister’s wedding grows closer and closer, I spend time arranging the perfect outfits for Eryx and me. Though his new clothing arrives, Eryx does not touch it. He’s much too fond of his workman’s attire and black leather jacket.

Things are progressing too slowly. I have no idea what I’ll say to Kallias or Alessandra when I see them, especially concerning the fake duke. All I can do is bide my time. Keep my head down.

And then the day, or rather night, I’ve been waiting for arrives. Not the wedding. Something much, much better.

Ilias Tomaras returns to the manor.

Kyros escorts me to the library, and I ask him to wait outside the door should I need him. He accepts this duty without question.

Ilias Tomaras looks just as he did last time. Impeccably dressed despite the late hour. The man doesn’t seem as though he’s tired in the slightest.

“Mr. Tomaras, I’m so glad you’ve come. Thank you again for your discretion.”

“Of course, Your Grace. I’m happy to have some things to report, though not as much as I would like.”

“Please go on.”

“I started with the mother, Ophira Demos, Pholios’s daughter. She was born here at the estate and lived here until the age of eighteen.”

“So he did have a child?”Why has no one heard of her?

“Yes, just the one, but she was disowned by her father and banished.”

“Disowned? For what reason?”

“I have been quietly gleaning information from some of Pholios’s old friends at the time by blending in at their clubs. No one seems to have a clear account of what exactly happened. What I do know is that Ophira had an affair with the late Shadow King.”

My mind whirls. Is Eryx the late king’s bastard?

I see those amber eyes behind my closed eyes. Is that what it is? But to my knowledge, the Maheras line all possess the same shadow magic. No variations. And I never saw Kallias’s eyes flash amber during my stay at the palace, but then again, I never saw him angry.

Those thoughts all run through my mind in the span of a second. Right before Tomaras utters his next sentence.

“Though, it was reportedly sometime after the affair ended that she became pregnant.”

Oh. “So someone else is the father?”

“Definitely. And since the late duke let an affair with the king slide, I can only assume that her new lover was not of her station. Someone her father thought was beneath her. Whoever he was, he didn’t marry Ophira once she became pregnant, so we can also guess that he either couldn’t afford a wife or had no interest in one. I believe the pregnancy is the reason for the ostracism.”

That is… so terribly sad. What a horrible fate for any woman. “Where did she go?”

“This is what took the most time, but I eventually tracked her down to a remote city in Estetia, called Dimyros.”

“I’ve never heard of it.”