Chapter 335: Who do you love more?
The words he used were too scary and heavy, making Sienna feel uneasy. It was either he was trying to make her feel scared, or he knew something he did not. Something Elias also did not know. As for the royal family, it was hard to tell what they knew or didn’t know. Maybe it was time to talk to Geo about digging into her mother. But for now, she wanted to wring out every bit of information she could get out of Lord Grace Twindell.
"Care to expand your words?" She asked.
He shrugged. "It depends on how the future looks. All I can say is that your maternal grandparents are only a thread in a larger tapestry. They were not merely small time criminals hoping from one city to another. They were architects of entire networks, builders of a criminal empire in the shadows. The royal family found three of four fake identities they held. I found nine."
Sienna’s breath hitched. She stared at him, her bones trembling, but she refused to give away the fear, faking determination and bravery. "Then tell me, Lord Grace, what exactly do you know about them? Who are they? I don’t even know their real names. I am assuming that they don’t go by Miller anymore."
Grace’s smile widened, but he did not answer immediately. The parrots shrieked from a distance, the red one thrashing against its cage, the white one eerily calm. The silence stretched with heavy anticipation.
Sienna’s heart pounded as she waited, knowing that whatever Grace said next could change everything she thought she knew about her family.
And then, just as his lips parted to speak, heavy footsteps approached them quickly. They both turned and saw Elias’s guards coming from the rear, protecting their Lord from all danger at the sea side with intense looks on their faces.
"I know that couples share everything, but some things should be kept to oneself." Lord Grace said quickly. "Like I said, the Veythar’s protection can cover you, but only you and only if your mess will not drag their family down. This web can be untangled by us, granddaughter and grandfather." He stepped away quickly, before she could remind him once again that she was not his granddaughter.
It was just in time for Elias to reach them. Naturally, the fox lord was suspicious of the most sly fox beast man that he had ever met. He pulled Sienna to his side, placing an arm around her waist firmly. His cold eyes fixed on the elder before them. "Lord, Grace, to what do we owe the pleasure or displeasure?"
Grace Twindell barked a laugh. "Displeasure? As always, My Lord, you are never shy in expressing your approval or disapproval of someone. Fear not, Lady Sienna and I were just catching up. Haven’t you heard the news? My Chase is very taken with Lady Sienna’s mother. Soon, we may all be one happy family. You will have to address me as grandfather."
Elias’s face remained stone cold. This made the air tense and awkward.
Lord Marius nodded slowly. "You want to me to get lost. I have got it." He angled his head respectfully, lifted his cane and walked in the opposite direction.
The bird cages were handed to the guards, and Sienna and Elias started a slow walk home.
"What was he saying to you?" Elias asked in a low voice.
Sienna opened her mouth, almost spilling everything Grace Twindell had said to her. But the reminder the elder had given nagged at the back of her mind, along with what happened with the Owena incident. Her in-laws had not been too pleased with the return of the bad sister. Maybe it was best to reserve this information first.
"Nothing really." She lied.
Elias stopped, but his hand squeezed her waist so tightly that she almost winced. "Don’t lie to me. I don’t like dishonesty between us. I will tolerate everything, but not that. What did he say to you?"
Sienna clenched her jaw and pulled away from him. Her face had the mark of the beginnings of a frown. "And I will not tolerate the lack of privacy. If I am not ready to share, don’t force me to. When I am ready to share, you will be the second person I go to, after my mother."
His nostrils flared. "The second person! So, your mother is more important than me?"
Sienna raised her brows. "Really, Elias? Are you comparing your importance to me to my mother? That is ridiculous. My mother is my mother, you are you. Both of you are equally important to me."
He shook his head stubbornly. "That’s the kind of answer a parent gives their child when they don’t want to say who their favorite kid is. And we both know they all have a favorite. Like you, Ali is your favorite. You have to decide tonight, who do you love the most in this family?"
The guards took a step back. Some of them wanted to warn their boss to shut up already. These were the kind of questions that resulted in a husband being kicked out of bed, or a couple eating breakfast in cold silence.
Sienna crossed her arms on her chest and leaned forward, just slightly. "You do know that their is a difference between who you love the most and who is the most important member of a family."
He crossed his arms on his chest too and said boldly. "Well, in this family, obviously its me. Right?"
Sienna scoffed. "You are being childish." She turned on her heel, walking ahead, leaving him behind. "I have had a long day, Elias. I would rather not stand out here in the cold arguing who is my favorite in the family. If I don’t ask you such questions, then you should not ask me such questions. We are parents for heavens sake. What would the children think if they heard this?"
Elias jogged after her. "Don’t avoid the subject and don’t run. Do you love me more than Ali and Soren and Eli?"
Sienna groaned. On one hand, clingy Elias was a welcome distraction from the subject of what she and Grace had been discussing. On the other hand, it was an annoying one.