As soon as everyone had finished eating, I demanded answers. "What else are you two keeping from me?"
Once again, to my continued frustration, Nana and Jack shared a tense conversation with only their eyes. While I waited, fighting to stay patient, I swallowed back an angry sip of milk. It didn't help that my sour mood made the milk not taste as good as normal in the mornings. Huffing out a low breath to release some of my negativity, I opened my mouth to force one of them to answer me now.
But, before I could get the words out, Nana's faint voice froze me in place.
"Your mother is waiting for you, Nisha. She...she's not human, so she lives in the Other Realm."
'Mother?' I repeated faintly, stunned. 'M, my mother? No, but Dad and Nana told me she had died in childbirth! She's alive?!'
Equal parts amazement and excitement rushed through my heart, tossing all my frustration out the window. "...Is that true?" I whispered, my voice strained, as I looked to Jack.
His blue eyes were filled with pain as he slowly nodded. "Mary, your mother, is a servant at the Winter Palace. She was a sort of childhood friend of Nathan's that eventually turned into love and they were married."
I gasped, bracing a hand against the table to stop my spinning head. "My mother is alive!" I murmured in excitement. "I can't wait to meet her!"
Jack reached from across the table to grab my hand tightly. When I lifted my eyes to him, his face was twisted in apology. "Nisha, your mother is a *servant*," he repeated, stressing that one word carefully.
I didn't understand what he was so upset abo—.
'...Servant!'
Memories of dark, silent, scary shadow people filled my mind, causing the blood to drain from my face.
'M, my mother is one of *them*?!'
The full understanding of what this all meant hit me like a blow on the head, killing my excitement brutally.
"Oh God," I whispered brokenly, lifting shaking hands to cover my mouth as sobs slipped through.
'I must have been absolutely terrified of my mother as an infant, which meant my family decided to lie and tell me she was dead. Any of the servants I used to point and scream at—crying and hiding in fear from—could have been my mother!'
Nana's arms came around me tightly, her voice trying to soothe me. "Oh, Snowflake. It's not your fault. You were just born blind and deaf. I'm the same way, Nisha. I've never seen the face of my daughter-in-law, but it's not stopped me from loving her as a daughter. I promise Mary does not hate or blame you for any of it!"
"But…" I swallowed, my heart tearing apart.
Now that I was going to be a mother myself I could imagine, at least a little, what my mother had felt. If either of my boys cried in terror every time I tried to hold them, talk to them, or be near them—!
My sobs grew louder as I broke down in horrifying regret. "I didn't know," I mumbled weakly between my sobs. "I'm so sorry, Mom!"
Some time passed while Nana and Jack (though he was a bit more distant and awkward) attempted to calm me down.
When I finally felt at least slightly normal, I saw both Jack and Nana didn't look any better than I did. Nana, I could understand, but Jack was sort of an outsider.
Why was his face covered in crusted tear tracks, disheveled hair, and puffy red eyes?
'...It's insanely annoying that Jack still looks good even when he's a hot mess.'
"I have to go see her," I decided, staring at the rest of my family. "Other than Nana, she's my last living blood relative."
Grace flinched at my words, while Jack winced, laughing awkwardly. "Well, technically that's not true," he admitted. "It's a bit of a long shot, but do you remember the Four Great Houses?"
Confused why he was bringing something like that up, I frowned in thought. Eventually, I shrugged. "I don't remember the names, but I do remember that they basically rule over the four seasons. Your family controls winter, right?"
Jack sighed wearily but nodded that yes, I was correct. "Nicholas, your grandfather, was once the heir of the Canis family. He was the Autumn Heir, Nisha. You come from royal blood, even if it's been diluted with human and shadow."
I gasped, staring at Jack in disbelief. When I shifted my gaze to Nana, she had a sorrowful expression but she did nod.
"If fact, if you agree to come back with me I am going to use your bloodline as a tool to increase your value and force naysayers to sew their mouths shut."
Gulping, I had no idea what to say in response to the fierce expression that slashed across Jack's face at the thought of these 'naysayers'.
Once again I was reminded of the fact that his humanity was only a facade. The coldness in his eyes was how I imagined a snake would look at an injured, cornered rabbit.
"How...would they even *want* to get to know me?" I finally found the courage to ask, cutting apart the heavy silence that had fallen at Jack's words.
Nana looked worried, but Jack smiled brightly. "Trust me. Old man Lionel, your great uncle, held a deep grudge toward his father for killing Nicholas. He's kind of famous for being eccentric towards humanity. He instilled that eccentricity into his son, which passed on to his grandson. They're very family-orientated, warm, and loving. Humans or not, they will welcome you with open arms."
Grace hugged herself tightly at Jack's words, the worry still evident in her gray eyes. "If that's true, I'd be glad. But I'm still so scared of the doubt...the fear."
I reached out to pat Nana's shoulder, trying to comfort her. Taking in a deep breath, I glanced between my family in quiet thought, heart racing.
On the one hand, the thought of living in a world filled with nonhuman creatures was terrifying.
Humanity was bad enough, but things that were stronger, faster, and had magical abilities?
A shudder of fear shot down my spine at the thought.
Even admitting all of that, for better or worse, nearly all of my family wasn't human. Based on Jack's reaction yesterday, my unborn sons probably weren't either. I'd been raised in a very family-orientated way that made it so finding out all of this was exciting to me.
I wanted to meet my mother and try to have a relationship with her, even if it would be difficult because of the differences between our species. I was also curious about my grandfather's family. Would they really be as happy and welcoming as Jack confidently claimed?
But what was waiting for me here?
I had no friends, not *real* ones.
My life hadn't been going anywhere in particular.
I'd been an average student, attending college because it was what was expected of me by others. After getting pregnant, I'd stopped caring about anything anyone else thought.
Especially with the rude awakening of finding out that the man I'd thought loved me had only seen me as another piece of ass to take bites out of.
Still, could I do it?
I turned my attention to Jack, who was watching me quietly, intense emotion in his bright blue eyes.
It was pretty obvious to me that he knew exactly what I was thinking, the turmoil ravaging through my heart right now.
He tried to smile at me, but it was a weak smile—revealing his own fear of rejection and wane hope for acceptance.
'Could I love you?' I asked Jack silently, gulping past the tight knot in my throat.
Searching through my heart the answer that came back was a confused 'unknown'.
'Could I marry you?'
I knew, based on what Jack had told me yesterday, going to the Other Realm at all would be tantamount to agreeing to marry him.
Even if he was trying to give me as much freedom of choice as possible, the darker part of him that wanted a relationship wouldn't let me escape if an opportunity arose.
If I wanted to be with my family, I'd have to be with Jack as well. Be his wife, accept his own family, and become the Duchess of Winter.
Marrying him would be the same as accepting a different world, a different life, and a different name.
I whispered to myself in shamed relief as another thought flashed by. 'Jack did promise that if I truly can't accept all of him, he'd accommodate me.'
So, at the very least, if the worst-case came to be, Jack wouldn't force me into a physical relationship.
That right there was one worry off my chest.
'But even if we don't have sex, there's everything else to deal with.'
Biting my lip, I forced myself to think about this in a less emotional manner.
If I brought emotions to the table, my heart had no idea which side to choose.
Instead, I needed to look at this in a calm manner with pros and cons.
'Pros: Rich family — so I, Nana, and the boys will never have to worry about anything. Stable income — from what I remember of my lessons, there is no possible way for the Frosts to run out of money. More family. A loving, attentive husband. Power and influence.'
'Cons: A distinguished, noble, ruling family and all the responsibility that comes with it. A world where I'm the minority and will be discriminated against because of it. No backing out or second thoughts.'
Looking at it this way, there were two more pros than cons.
Sure, that didn't encompass the entirety of the issue, but it was enough.
'I'll agree to marry Jack and return to the Other Realm to live my life there.'
Saying the words silently in my mind, I waited a few moments to see how they felt in my heart.
No extreme fear or heart-pounding excitement, just a nervous determination.
I could see myself being married to Jack, could see the domesticity between us.
While the thought of being a duchess was daunting, I was also pretty sure I would be able to manage it after an adjustment period.
The issue of a different, dangerous world and the questionable treatment I'd have to put up with was worrisome, but also something I felt the Human World still had a lot of.
In the end, it was the lives of my unborn sons that really pushed me into the decision.
If Jack was completely willing and eager to claim these boys as his own, the calculating part of my mind was perfectly happy to let him.
They'd live a better life, get a better education, and be surrounded by family that loved them to bits.
Jack's blood family wasn't included in this group, as I had no doubt they'd protest Jack's choice to claim the boys fervently.
Inhaling and exhaling several times to force my nervous, pounding heart to slow, I cleared my throat and looked Jack in the eyes.
"Okay, Jack. I'll return to the Winter Palace and marry you," I announced firmly.