Chapter 22: Lesser Nobles Gifts and Sundry

The other side of the duke's family was not in such happy pink hazes. The duke had spent hours trying to deal with the fallout of a single women destroying the heart and soul of the royal guard. Even more insulting they only suffered minor injury and a major wound to their pride. There were no wizards or mages in the world, witches were long since disproved and magic simply didn't exist here.

No one knew what to make of whatever the hell had happened to the royal guard.

Despite that, the tense breakfast continued as the stepmother daughter simply tried to pretend nothing was wrong. The pair had seen enough, they knew that this matter was out of their league and that the best thing was to stay quiet and let it be.

Nobles didn't think that way, the insult was too great. Duke Lockheed was a man in love, however after the tense start, he managed to calm down and be the loving stepfather and second husband he was.

At least for this part of his family. It only lasted until his daughter and servant joined them.

"Daughter." Acknowledging her alone was a deliberate jab at the sage, who of course ignored the words of the lesser.

"Have some toast, you liked the red night fruit jam, but this raspberry is close." Spreading a small piece of toast, the sage gently fed the girl next to her. Valentine couldn't help but blush at the intimate gesture.

Mary and Charlotte despite their airhead nature, were very attune to such matters of love in a way that only the romance addle brains could do.

'Mom something happened with these to.'

'Agreed, it doesn't look like they are as agitated.'

'What could it be?'

'Something good must of happened.'

'I want to know.'

'Follow my lead, we can work it out of them.'

Mother and daughter communicated an entire conversation silently before the mother took the first step in traversing the depths of their stepfamilies relations.

"I didn't know that that the two of you had gotten so close."

"Mothers right, you two seem much happier today." Mary followed up, trying not to overshadow her mother.

"Well, we slept well?" Iris and her vast knowledge of romance(zero) told her it was better to let the other girl make the announcement that they were romantic partners.

"We…" Valentine started also unsure of what to say as well. The women across from them sensed blood in the water.

"That's wonderful to get good night's rest it is really important."

"Taking care of yourselves is always refreshing…like finally committing to yourself or others." Valentine who had a better grasp of subtext than Iris did realized what they were digging at.

"My contemplations did go well last night, I must say. It's as if the cosmos are open to me." That wasn't just some form of mumbo jumbo, Iris had ascended. She formed a connection to the Dao and the universe as a whole. Her understanding of the cosmic point and purpose was more profound than the entire noble world of valentines.

"Oh, so you figured out something good than right." Mary was quick on the draw. Before this descended into some sort of strange discussion, she headed of the sage's comment. Valentine gently took her new lover's hand and shot a look across the table at both her female relatives.

'They made it official!'

'Sister and sister-in-law are together. I don't know if…oh hell, they are too cute together to care about that anymore.'

'Don't let your mother catch you with that kind of language daughter! You take Valentine ill work the details out of Miss Iris'

It was a universal truth that women could communicate in ways that defied words.

Duke Evens had a feeling that things had changed, being the astute politician that he was, however he also had been finding that the more he knew the less he wanted to know.

"The oranges are good today." He muttered to himself.

"You should come with me sister; we need to get you a dress for the ball." Valentine had no desire to go to said ball.

"It would be fun to go to a ball as myself for a change. We did leave the last one early." Iris didn't mind balls now that she could go as Iris, instead of the heir of Lockheed.

"I think that-" The noble attempted to speak but was quickly set up.

"It's a wonderful time to spend as a family, since we have to welcome the young Iris into the family." Her stepmother interjected before Valentine could offer an excuse.

"No one put salt in the cream chase today." It was clear the eldest Lockheed was ignoring reality.

Damned father, why did he become so useless when his daughter needed him. Seeing her insistent stepmother and the soft smile on her lover's face, there was no choice but to attended.

"Monica's?" Mary said choosing a dress shop.

"Right, I think Iris will find a better match at Morrice, Ill take Lady Iris. You and your sister can visit Monica's."

There was a heady moment, as the three women silently contested wills, the stalemate broke when her stepsister looked sad and pitiful. It was unfortunate but sad and pitiful was Valentine's weakness, so she acquiesced.

"Great lets go!" In a whirlwind, the two had all but dragged the marital warriors off to get ready to go.

!@# !@# !@#

Mary hadn't had a chance to spend any time with her sister recently. She was looking forward to the day of dress shopping. It was hard not to love her sister more than she should, but she had always known that it would never be.

"I've waited long enough elder sister, spill the details." A carriage like this with a fancy suspension and thick walls meant that they wouldn't be heard.

"I knew you two were up to something, you got guts shrimp, harassing an elder of one of the five great sects like this." Valentine could be menacing but her heart wasn't in it. The two of them had a cordial but distance relationship. Before getting stranded in the martial realm, she had kept her sister at bay despite the younger girl's honest attempts to get closer.

"Sisters don't keep big things like this from each other."

"How do you know something even happened."

"If it, hadn't you wouldn't put on a show like this. You would have simply answered the question."

"Tsk, you've gotten smarter in my absent."

"Lady Iris wasn't good at the social games and wordplay, I had to get better to protect her." Valentine looked at her blond-haired blue-eyed stepsister and wondered how something so good came from her worthless father.

"Even if you insist, I don't have anything to tell."

"Liar."

Stepsister Mary had gotten sharper than Noble Valentine.

"I know you find it embarrassing to talk about and how much trouble it is for you to find words. You can take your time you know."

"I don't want to share, its between us two."

"Oh please, I've been helping you manage your relationship with her this whole time." She snorted in an unladylike fashion. Ruefully Valentine responded.

"So, you gave me advice one time, and poked your nose into my affairs the rest of the time."

"It was more than one time come on sister I'm starved for romance here ever since you disappeared the first time."

Saying nothing the born noble glanced out the window. She did remember a few times when she had gotten advice from her stepsister. It had been picking a gift out for the sage's birthday two fall seasons ago.

!@# !@# !@#

"I don't think maids have a lot of places to show off such…artsy vases." Droopy, saggy, with nobs and other sad looking features, it was no wonder the elder sister wanted it.

"I suppose your right." Iris didn't know the exact date of her birth relative in the noble realm, just that she was born in the second week of autumn. It was the first time the noble had chosen to shop for a gift for a servant, normally it was a free day off with pay.

"Why not something cute to wear with her uniform like a neckless or earrings?" Mary asked, excited to be shopping with her elder sister for once. Her elder sister turned out to be a bit of a home body, not surprising when her favorite thing to do was read.

"She doesn't wear any accessories though that I've seen."

"The girl was kidnapped right? That means she lost everything she had. This would be a great gift for her to start over."

"Are you sure?" Mary supposed her hesitation came from her nobility. She rarely picked clothes or adornments for herself and simply wore whatever was provide. She had an elegant, draped bodice with seven layers, the large hoop skirt continued the layers lining them with buttons. Some one else had picked the outfit, but they had great taste. Her sister looked hot, hot.

"Trust me girls love this stuff. Just don't go to expensive or she might be burdened." Mary had directed the noble to more lesser noble stores. Fit for barons and vice earls rather than dukes and duchess. Not that it could be helped, but the girl was hopeless without her younger sister when it came to shopping.

Mary hoped that she could show of her good points here. However, when she looked at the gilded accessories, all she saw were the emeralds that would look stunning on big sis. Even so the noble girl didn't want help, she stood and quietly looked at each piece.

The salesclerk at the counter was ignored, and it was obvious from their outfits that they were much higher ranked than the small barony who owned the shop. So, he just calmly let the girl work her way through the entire selection.

"You better apricate this Iris." Mary Muttered as she looked at some of the other eclectic items the shop held. She hadn't known at the time she was in love romantically with her sister, so instead she was jealously irritated of the maid's attention.

Growing tired of waiting she left her sister to rest on a bench outside the store. Why should she be worried it was a lady in waiting. It had taken no time at all for her to adore the girl assigned to her.

"Big sister sure is amazing. I wonder if its her nobility that makes her work so hard." Mary had already picked a gift for her lady in waiting, she had chosen a hardy bracelet that wouldn't get damaged by her work. She had spent some time looking, but the care that Lady Lockheed was showing the choice in gifts…

"I don't know if these emerald earrings are too cheap to give her." They had a good setting and an artistic touch that was elegant. Mary had felt that her sister could use some simpler, lighter earrings for day-to-day use.

"I don't know if I put enough thought into this. "She muttered closing her eyes to sigh. When she opened her eyes, there was big sister. If it wasn't for Mary, they would be staring at each other as Valentine would never ask the question.

"I, um, picked these out for you…I thought that you could use something to wear every day." Mary cursed herself for being so stupid, she hadn't managed to wrap them or anything.

"Thank you…Sister." She held them for a moment before she fished out something from the small bag she had received from the store. Wordlessly she handed the girl a small package. Contained within were simple earrings with small dangling pink and blue opal stones.

"For you." It was all she said.

"Their wonderful, thank you sister." Beaming she was ecstatic to get a gift with such care. As the two returned Mary prodded her sister into showing her a deep purple amethyst pendent that she had chosen for Iris. Mary almost giggled at her sister so desperate for her approval.

"She will love it." Smiling at the wonderful day Mary wished it wouldn't end.