Gunmage
Chapter 85: Von Heim daughters

Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Von Heim daughters

Selaphiel’s grip on the cloth tightened the moment she heard the name. She almost held her breath as her eyes widened.

"Have you told Mother?"

She asked immediately, her voice urgent.

"Not yet"

Lirienne replied, her expression serious.

"I was thinking we could tell her together."

There was a hesitation in her voice, a rare flicker of uncertainty. Selaphiel understood at once.

Without another word, she swiftly dressed and joined her sister as they strode through the halls of the manor.

The grand chandeliers cast long shadows against the high ceilings, their footsteps echoed in the dimly lit corridors.

They came across a maid and halted before her.

"Would you be so kind as to tell us where our mother is?"

Selaphiel inquired, her tone was polite yet firm.

The maid stiffened under their scrutiny, her hands twisting in her apron.

"I—I think she’s in the study."

Lirienne’s frown deepened.

"You think?"

Her voice was sharp and accusatory. The maid flinched, lowering her gaze in submission.

"Lirienne, leave it"

Selaphiel interjected, her tone curt.

"But—"

"We don’t have time for this."

Her voice was cold and final. Without waiting for a response, she turned on her heel and strode off.

"Hey, wait up!"

Lirienne called, quickly following after her.

They reached the heavy oak doors of the study and knocked. Silence greeted them.

"I’m coming in"

Selaphiel announced as she slowly pushed the door open. The room was empty. Before Lirienne could start complaining, Selaphiel had already suggested.

"Perhaps we should check the library."

"Alright."

Ascending the large winding staircase, they arrived on the second floor, where the grand open door library dominated most of the space.

The scent of aged parchment and ink filled the air, the towering shelves casting looming shadows. It didn’t take long for them to spot their mother.

Poised and regal, she sat comfortably in a velvet armchair, flipping through the pages of an old tome .

A pair of gold-rimmed reading glasses rested delicately on her nose. Even after years of bearing and raising children, her beauty remained unblemished, her raven-black hair rolled down her back like a waterfall of ink.

She wasn’t alone.

Mirelle, the second-born, was lounging beside her, legs elegantly crossed, a romance novel in hand. She was the only one among them who had inherited their father’s flaxen hair, a feature she took great pride in.

Her skin, meticulously cared for with exotic oils and treatments, had a luminous glow. Finding her in the library was no surprise. Her obsession with novels, particularly the romantic kind, was well known.

She was the first to notice them.

"Ah, my dear sisters"

She stated with an exaggerated enthusiasm.

"How odd to see the both of you together."

Her smile was mocking, her golden eyes alight with mischief.

Selaphiel had a few words to say but she restrained herself. Mother was present, it wouldn’t do for her to witness them arguing.

Instead, she merely said

"Mind your business."

Their mother’s attention finally shifted toward them, her piercing grey eyes unreadable.

"What do you want?"

She spoke at last, her voice smooth and melodious. Not naturally of course, it was something if not all noble women, then at least the ones of this family trained for.

Amongst all the siblings, Mirelle was the most skilled in this ’art’.

Not that it mattered

Lirienne stepped forward, unfolding the newspaper in her hands and pointing to the headlines.

"Mother, look. Have you seen this?"

"Yes"

She replied, patiently.

Mirelle scoffed.

"Are you living under a rock? Who on earth hasn’t seen it?"

She flipped another page of her book, only half-interested.

"If that’s all, then do run along. You’re interrupting my reading session."

Lirienne swallowed back the sharp retort forming on her tongue. She was the youngest here, it would do her no good to have an outburst.

Still, her displeasure was evident in the deepening scowl on her face.

Their mother noticed.

"Mirelle."

"Yes, Mother?"

"You were too rude. Apologize to your sister."

Mirelle let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Must I?"

"Yes, you must."

With another sigh, even more dramatic than the first, Mirelle relented.

"I’m sorry... shorty."

"Mother!"

"That’s enough, both of you"

It was Selaphiel who intervened, her tone leaving no room for argument. The room fell into silence.

Their mother turned her lazy gaze back to Lirienne.

"What were you saying?"

Lirienne straightened, her confidence returning.

"Another list of survivors was published. I found a curious name on it."

Everyone stared at her impassively.

Then, with a victorious smirk, she delivered in the exact same way she had done before.

"Lugh von Heim."

There was no reaction from their mother. Instead, it was Mirelle who sprang from her seat, eyes wide with disbelief.

"Lugh? You mean that runaway brat?! What the hel—what in the world is he doing all the way in Drakensmar?!"

Lirienne ignored her. Something was off. Mirelle had reacted exactly as she had expected, but their mother hadn’t.

She remained unnervingly calm, as if they were merely discussing the weather.

Considering her past desperation to find the boy, her indifference now was unsettling.

Unable to contain her curiosity, Lirienne asked.

"Aren’t you surprised?"

Her sisters shared the same thought, their gazes subtly flicking toward their mother.

"Why would I be?"

Lirienne opened her mouth to protest, but before she could, an unexpected voice cut through the air.

"Mother!"

A thirteen-year-old girl came briskly weaving through the bookshelves. Aveline, the youngest of the Von Heim children. She hesitated briefly upon seeing all her sisters gathered together but quickly regained her composure.

"Mother, Darrius sent me an invitation to a tea party. Can I—Should I go?"

"We’ll continue this discussion later. Now’s not the time"

Their mother replied, unhurried.

"Okay."

Aveline turned to leave but hesitated.

"What are you all talking about?"

"You don’t need to know. It’s important"

Lirienne snapped, flexing her ’maturity.’

"We’re talking about Lugh"

Mirelle quipped, ever the instigator.

Aveline visibly tensed.

"L-Lugh?!"

Her reaction was the strongest of them all, but she quickly shrank under the silent, scrutinizing gaze of her mother.

The air turned oppressive, thick with unspoken thoughts.

Their mother finally broke the silence.

"I already knew."

Their ears perked, but no one dared to interrupt.

"General Garrick’s letter arrived yesterday. He was the one who recognized Lugh among the survivors."

Mirelle was the first to speak.

"How in the world did he end up in Drakensmar? That’s practically the frontlines! The city even fell to the forces of Heieg!"

Their mother’s gaze darkened.

"Regarding that... why don’t you ask him yourself?"

She leaned back in her chair, her face twisting into a frown.

"He’ll be arriving tomorrow."