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Lady Soliel's face fell, her lip quivered.

She was, Snake realized, an excellent actress if nothing else.

Perhaps, Eirian had been the one telling the truth all along. 

"For Rock's sake child." Lord Soliel rubbed his temple. "I'm your father. It's my responsibility to see you married."

"Please." Eirian scoffed. "You only did this because you think it gives you some kind of advantage over Uncle."

Lord Soliel's face flushed and ugly red as he leapt to his feet. "How dare you accuse me of such an ugly thing. You ungrateful- I don't know why your loyalty to him has always outweighed your loyalty to me, but I have had enough! I am your father, and I am owed-"

Eirian's voice rose in concert. "I don't owe you anything! My loyalty is to the king, where yours should be."

In the midst of their argument Lady Soliel fled the room, Snake debated following her, but by the time she'd made a decision, Lady Soliel was back with a sleeping babe in her arms. She bounced it gently trying to wake it, Snake realized at the same time Eirian did.

"For Rocks sake, Brigitta. You just dragged him on a twelve-week journey and now you're waking him up when he should be sleeping?" Eirian snapped.

Brigitta sneered. "I am the parent here, not you Eirian. I know how to care for my son." The nursemaid crept behind her, nervously wringing her hands.

That was the person truly taking care of the babe, Snake thought, and the poor woman looked like she was going to have a heart attack as the baby finally stirred with a cry.

"You need to bond with your brother, Eirian. You are family." And then Lady Soliel tried to shove the child into Lady Ye's arms.

Snake barely managed to bite back her snort of amusement.

Lady Ye had clearly been in this situation before because she crossed her arms and refused to take him.

"He is your brother; you must bond with him! You can't ignore him; he is your only family!" Lady Soliel became so desperate that she shoved the child at Eirian's chest and let go and even Snake's heart stopped for a moment as he fell a foot before the nursemaid reacted and dove in time to catch him.

Eirian's face stayed cold and indifferent, and Snake cursed herself for not paying her enough attention. Had she known what the nursemaid would do?

Lady Soliel's face crumpled as tears came to her eyes. "How could you let him fall? He's your brother!" Her voice rose with each word.

"You're his mother," Eirian returned. "You dropped him." Lady Soliel reeled back. "As if there were any great proof that you only had him to further, your own fortunes."

"Enough!" Lord Soliel roared. "Both of you. This is childish. Eirian he is your brother; you cannot ignore him."

"You ignored me for the first twelve years of my life."

"I was-"

"You were not mourning," Eirian seethed. "You were a useless drunk." The nursemaid scurried out of the room with the crying baby, but this time Snake was looking close enough to catch the small gesture Eirian made with her fingers that had sent the woman out.

"How dare-"

"That baby will be lucky if that's the kind of parents he gets. Better than being used as some prop in your pointless war against Uncle."

Snake has seen plays with less drama than this family, but why are they here? Does Eirian already know? Snake had read most of the private letters she received so she knew about Prince Eric's actions, but there'd been no warning about this trip.

Lord Soliel was practically foaming at the mouth; he hadn't even looked at the baby once while it had been in the room and Lady Soliel seemed to have forgotten him in her outrage.

The quality of the people in the capital clearly knew no bounds.

"He is your heir!" Lord Soliel roared. "I have already decided."

Eirian froze; Snake could practically see her mind working. "That's why you're here? To make me agree?"

"I do not have to make you do anything! I am Lord Soliel."

"You are not." Eirian snapped. "You are a second son with no title and no throne, so you have been trying to steal Uncle's all your life."

The crack made Snake flinch. She hadn't thought that Lord Soliel would strike his daughter or that Eirian would allow it.

The flames of Lady Ye's magic erupted as her cheek swelled and turned red and her eyes lit with fury.

Was she going to kill them now? Snake wondered. Lord Ye and Prince Eric certainly seemed like they would be happy to hide her wrongdoings.

Lord and Lady Soliel fell backwards, shrieking in terror. Which was interesting, they didn't seem at all comfortable or familiar with Eirian's magic.

"He is not my heir. Just as I am not yours. You're never going to see the throne father, not as king or as regent. Leave tomorrow or I'll make you." And then she spun on her heel and stormed out, her magic lashed out as she went, scorching the table and chairs they'd been sitting when she arrived along with her father's letters and Snake bit back a curse.

All that intelligence lost, but at least she knew the purpose for their visit. 

And that Eirian was not nearly as detached from them as she made it seem. There had been a flash of honest hurt when her father slapped her and kindness when she'd sent the nursemaid out. Eirian may play the detached Princess, but she was far from it in truth. 

Which meant she had more vulnerabilities than anyone at the Camelia realized. 

Snake hung around for a few more minutes, waiting to see if anything else useful came from Lord and Lady Soliel but it was just fearful gibberish about Eirian's magic, which they clearly had no practical understanding and a foolish declaration not to leave until Eirian came to her senses.

They wouldn't last more than a day or two, based on their ridiculous number of trunks.

Snake snuck back out the passageway and quickly made her way to Yuze's office. It was late, but after a dinner like that Yuze would still be in his office making notes.

Alone.

~ tbc