Two years of missions found their group a little closer than they had been in the beginning. Myra stopped following Fafnir as if she were a kicked puppy but that did not make the man any more inclined to want to jump into a relationship with her. He could sense that she was not happy with the way things had been over the past couple of years, but he had to know if she was really part of the team or if Morgianna was an expendable piece to the snake in her grand plan.
Morgianna had convinced her father that since she was older and left home more often she needed more guards and being the helpful daughter that she was she already had two perfect candidates. Alnwick fit right in with the other guards and many of the maids found him dashing. His carefree attitude and flaming hair made him stand out even among the most decorated of his peers.
At the age of 10 in this world, Morgianna found that the marriage proposals were becoming harder to dodge. She hated that anyone would try to force children into a relationship just to form political ties. She had not even dated in her past world and now she was expected to get married to a stranger. True to his word, her father tried his hardest to not force her into anything but he and her mother had grown tense with the requests that never seemed to end.
"Morgianna, father requests you to go to his office." Felix did not meet her eyes when he spoke choosing to stare at his cuff as if it held the answers to the universe and if he were to blink he would miss it. It broke her heart to see that they were not close as she had hoped they would be. She promised in her heart that she would start making time for him. After all soon he would meet the heroine and if she were not careful she would push her sweet brother right into her waiting arms.
Reaching out so she could take his hand she gave it a small squeeze. Felix jerked his head up in her direction as if he was surprised that she would initiate any kind of contact. "Thank you brother, when I am done conversing with father would you like to have some snacks in the courtyard with me?" She smiled her brightest smile and batted her mismatched eyes just as she had done countless times when they were younger.
Felix's cheeks turned pink and he quickly looked away. "Why would I want to eat snacks with you?" He removed his hand from hers and crossed his arms over his chest refusing to look at her. He was afraid of seeing the hurt in her eyes. He had wanted her to reach out to him for years, but she was always running off and leaving him behind. He just wanted her to trust him as she does he guards, to let him be a part of her life and not always show him a mask.
"That is okay brother, I have just missed you." Morgianna let sadness seep into every word knowing that even with her whispered words as a vampire he would hear. "Maybe next time then!" She forced her voice to sound chipper hoping he would take the bait. She hated to mess with his emotions, but she needed him. Not just because he was a capture target but because she had really grown to love him as a brother and if she lost him it would feel as if she had lost herself.
She turned ready to leave when Felix this time reached out to take her hand. "Fine. We can have snacks together, father and mother would be upset with me if I were to make you sad." He kept a frown on his face as if he was being forced to do something unpleasant but Morgianna knew the truth that he kept hidden.
"Thank you brother, you are the best!" She jumped up to plant a kiss on his cheek and quickly turned to run to her father's office. She did not miss the smile that was on his face as she ran away. Their relationship was not perfect, but baby steps would mend the cracks that had formed.
Arriving at her father's office she knocked twice to announce her arrival before opening the door. She had not waited for him to tell her to enter as she knew he had been waiting on her. However the sight that awaited her was her mother sitting behind her father's desk while the latter stood to peer out the window.
"It is not proper to open a door without waiting for permission to enter. I would have thought that I taught you better than that." Her mother was smiling but it was not a genuine one. She loved her mother, but the woman was a stickler for rules and being proper. As her mother would say 'A lady should be mindful of her manners even when there is nobody to be mindful of'.
Morgianna gave a curtsy choosing to acknowledge her mother's words in the only way that would not start an argument about manners, not at all. "Father and Mother I was told that my presence was requested." She kept her eyes on her mother knowing that if she was here then the conversation would have something to do with her being a proper lady.
Lillian Bloodmoon was the picture of sophisticated grace as she leaned back in her father's chair with a small smile on her face. "You would be pleased to know that you have been invited for a small gathering of the young noble ladies of our kingdom. It is being held by the Prime Ministers daughter, her name is Olive, isn't that the cutest name. Make sure you mind your manners, this is a perfect opportunity for you to hang out with someone other than those guards you have."
For the first time since her mother began speaking Morgianna risked a glance at her Father, his long silver hair was tied back so she had an unobscured view of his scowl. He did not turn around choosing to stare out the window as Lillian went over all that was expected of Morgianna at this gathering. Of course her parents being a Duke and Duchess she was expected to be the best of the best, second only to a princess if one was to ever be in attendance at the same gathering.
As Lillian finished going over the details of the event Morgianna could only put a fake smile on her face. Even if she were to voice her displeasure her mother would still deem the event an essential part of her "Education". The only parts she really paid attention to were the date, time, and place she would need to arrive at. Anything else was unimportant, she had no intention of going out of her way to talk to two-faced females that would either try to befriend her to climb the social ladder or to knock her from her higher place on the ladder if the chance ever arose.
"I understand mother, I will be the best me that I can be."
"Then you are dismissed, we will get together soon to go over your lessons so do not leave the house." Lillian gave her daughter a pointed look, she knew she was a free spirit and would spend all her time away if they let her.
As Morgianna walked out she heard her father speak in a low voice. If she had never joined in a pact her hearing would not have caught his words. "Are we really going to send her into the belly of the beast? You know exactly how these functions work, it is a double-edged sword."
Lillian sighed. "I know dear, but we will not be able to protect her forever, it is best for her to start now than for it to hit her all later."