Chapter 334: It was secrets.
Lord Grace laughed, which got a reaction from the parrots. The birds cackled as if they too found Sienna’s statement ridiculously funny. Sienna glanced at the birds, and she noted their sharp, curious eyes, as if the too were measuring her reaction.
"The Veythar armor of protection is meant for you and only you, not your family." Grace replied carefully. "If you make a mistake that shames them, like Cadelaria did, there will be consequences. Unlike her, you won’t have a noble family to fall back on. If Cadelaria was not the daughter of a noble family, I am quite sure Jess would have thrown her out long ago. Even if she is thrown out, she is a Twindell. She has family money to fall back on, however little it is in her case. Her parents squandered almost all of their individual assets. As my granddaughter, you can stand firmly in the Veythar family with me to back you up."
He looked at the side of her face, wishing her could step in front of her, and see the reaction in her eyes.
"Lord Grace." she said carefully, "I respect your position, but I am not going to be your granddaughter. Nothing you say will sway me."
His smile did not falter. "Not sway, child. Only remind. Your mother has a complicated history and her parents are bad news waiting to leap out of the dark and pull all of you down. I won’t lie, I have my own agenda. The Twindell’s have benefited in various ways from the marriage union between our families. One family has ruined it all for everyone with their greed. We didn’t know what they were doing either. All along, we thought the Veythar’s knew what Cadelaria was doing. You can’t imagine how surprised we were to learn about all the things she has been stealing. The patriarch is considering breaking that brunch of the family away. All I wish to do is re-establish ties."
"Like you married your daughter into the royal family." Sienna snorted. "Only in this case, it will be your granddaughter, AKA, me."
Lord Grace shrugged. "It is an equal benefit partnership, Sienna. But aside from our calculations, you and I, emotions must be considered. Families must bind together. Your mother and my son, perhaps they will find happiness. Shouldn’t we allow them the chance?"
Sienna’s hart hardened. "Happiness cannot be arranged like a marriage contract."
Lord Grace laughed at her response. "You married through a contract. Aren’t you happy now?"
Sienna’s face stiffened.The parrots squawked as if echoing the tension.
"You seem to know an awful lot about my private affairs." Sienna said smoothly. "Did you send someone to investigate me?" She stopped in her tracks, her eyes narrowing as she looked at him, studying his smile.
Lord Grace didn’t even bother to hide it. "We both know I did. Right from the very first day we met."
She sneered. "Then tell me something else. How do you know about my mother’s past? About her younger days and extracurricular activities?"
The attendants behind Lord Grace took at least ten steps back. The parrots squawked loudly, as if they objected to being denied the right to eavesdrop.
Lord Grace chuckled, not in mockery but in the way of a man who had lived too long to be rattled. "Ah, granddaughter, you ask the right questions. I will be direct and honest. I know because information is part of my trade. I buy it, I sell it, I weave it into my power. Maybe someday, I will pass on that branch of my business to you."
Sienna’s lips pressed into a thin line. "I am not your family, how dare I inherit your business. And how bold of you to admit to such an illegal trade openly."
"Why hide it?" Grace replied, his tone almost proud. "I came into this business during my days as a space pir...adventurer. We once raided...err, visited a ship that departed from the eagle tribe temple. We were told it carried treasure, so we expected jewels. But the true treasure was never jewels, it was secrets. A ledger hidden in a captain’s pocket. It contained secrets overheard in one tavern. Some of those secrets could topple tribes faster than any blade."
He leaned closer, his voice lowering as if sharing a confession. "I knew what I was looking at. I learned to trade those secrets. A noble would pay handsomely to know his rival’s debts. A merchant would give half of his fortune to learn which routes would reach a port quicker, which palms to grease to get their goods quicker without inspection. Which ports were safe for smuggled goods. When my days of adventuring ended, I built a business with that skill. I became a broker of knowledge."
Sienna’s heart thudded. She had always suspected that there was more to how Lord Grace’s daughter married into the royal family than a simple love story between a fox and a lion. This was a basic admission that he used secrets to manipulate others. "And my mother?" she pressed. "How did you know about her?"
Lord Grace’s smile softened, though his eyes gleamed. "I was not looking for Missy Miller, I was looking for her father Edward. Or whatever name he was using two months before his accident. Then, Edward and his wife died, leaving two orphan girls that no relative wanted to take in. Imagine my surprise when I was paid to find a car thief and it turned out to be Edward’s daughter! At such a young age, she was already a legend in the criminal underworld.
I didn’t sell her information, out of curiosity, to see who she would grow to be. I was hoping she would be a force to be reckoned with, and I would have something over her. But she gave up her talents. I stopped looking into her when she turned eighteen and became a farmer.
The next time I saw her was when the fox lord married a human woman. So many daughters of fox nobles and other tribes were waiting for him to choose them. But, he chose a human woman! It was heaven defying. So, I looked into your background. I recognized your mother immediately, but I kept my silence because she was not involved in your affairs.
There was nothing much to find and I didn’t dig into you again until you clashed with my daughter, your aunt." He flashed her a proud grin. "Aren’t you proud of your grandfather? I am one of the most powerful men in this empire. My power will extend to you and trust me, with what’s coming, you are going to need it."