Chapter 22

As I’ve mentioned before, I never held much fear, if any, for any creature within the Veil. Nor did I feel a need to.

Being the hybrid I was made me feel rather emboldened about others, even if I mostly felt beneath them. This was why I held no fear in going to meet with Hailia that day.

However, as it turned out, I wasn’t going to be doing it alone, thanks to the insistence of one stubborn Luna Dog girl.

“You simply cannot let Luna do this alone! Let me go with her!” Selenia proclaimed the evening before as she stood in the courtyard with Rayne and me.

We had just finished visiting with Jekia when Lana and she had returned to the palace. As soon as they heard about this plan, Selenia had decided that she wanted to accompany me.

While Jekia and Lana hadn’t been pleased with her for this, they had decided to leave it up to me and Rayne, much to my alpha’s dismay. I was already getting the feeling that he had a hard time denying his baby sister anything she wished to do, even if he wanted to.

“There is no need for you to do that, Selenia. Emelio will be keeping an eye on Luna, and I highly doubt that Hailia is up to anything nefarious, so there is nothing to worry about,” Rayne told her.

“I know, but I wish to accompany her regardless. I have never had the opportunity to meet Hailia in person and I want more time with Luna, so please allow me this,” Selenia contended.

“Selenia…,” Rayne started.

“Please!” Selenia’s attention turned to me, and she took my hands in hers. “Please, allow me to do this with you, Luna! I feel so awful that I haven’t been able to help you much since you joined our family!”

“Um…I don’t think you need to go this far, and it’s not like I blame you for anything,” I managed.

Rayne looked extremely put out now. “Do not drag Luna into the middle of this, Selenia!”

“I am not! It should be her choice, shouldn’t it?! Is she not your beta and deserves an equal say in what is done?!” Selenia challenged.

She had him there. Rayne knew full well that I should’ve had the final say in this, considering it was all about me.

Of course, it also left me in a bit of an awkward position. I hadn’t been expecting this to come up when I’d wished to see Hailia.

Yet at the same time, I couldn’t simply say no to her. Selenia’s heart was in the right place, and it wasn’t like I didn’t wish to know her better too.

Rayne frowned as he backed down. “I suppose you do have a point,” he conceded before looking at me. “I can’t stand here and say that this is a bad thing, but it should be up to you, and you may have wished to speak to Hailia privately. If that’s the case, then you can tell my sweet yet overbearing sister no.”

“You may tell me yes or no. I’ll respect whatever you wish, Luna,” Selenia added.

“I know, and it’s not so bad that you wish to go with me. You seem to understand more about the matchmaking houses than I do, so it might be better if you came. May I only ask that you allow me to take the lead in the conversation?” I requested.

“Of course!” Selenia easily agreed. “I don’t mind doing that at all. I simply wish to accompany you and help however I can.”

This was what had led me here, walking to the edge of Jumal with Selenia that afternoon a few days later. She looked so happy beside me with her joyful smile and her pretty long white and black hair bouncing in curls around her face and shoulders.

She was dressed in a simple white dress with black ties around the waist and a low-cut top, and it accentuated her maturing body well. I was dressed in a simple blue dress, not wishing to call too much attention to myself.

Since it was warm, I’d elected to braid my hair over my shoulder, and Selenia had insisted on helping me with it, braiding a blue ribbon into it to match my dress.

“Thank you so much for allowing me to accompany you today. I realize that I was imposing a bit, and I apologize for that,” she was saying.

“It’s all right. I know you have wished to spend a bit more time with me, and this does help me feel slightly more at ease,” I confessed.

“Far be it for me to say this, but I was a bit concerned about all of this too. I understand that Daddy would believe it was better for Rayne not to accompany you and Emelio to watch over things from a distance, but after what you’ve already been put through simply in words, I can’t imagine it is easy to trust anyone, even me,” Selenia went on.

“Perhaps not,” I concurred. “But I also haven’t seen a reason not to trust you or anyone else in your family. I also don’t feel like I distrust Hailia, especially after hearing of what happened to her.”

“Yes. Daddy did tell Mother and me the story, and I believe he disclosed it to Rin and Aurora as well. It’s incredible to think that any would trick him as they apparently did, but then, Daddy is also a bit different than he used to be. I suppose that they are right when they say it’s Mother’s influence on him. I heard stories from some of the older creatures that he was quite strict and unforgiving for a while, even if he was also very revered,” Selenia told me.

“I wonder if loving someone can do that for you. Perhaps it changes us for the better,” I suggested.

“Perhaps,” Selenia agreed. “Either way, I believe you are a very positive influence in Rayne’s life, just as Aurora has been in Rin’s. Neither seems to be half as wild-spirited as they were before, even if they still avoid visiting home at times.”

“I am not so certain about that, but I would hope that I could be somewhat of a positive influence on Rayne.”

Selenia touched my shoulder. “You are far too hard on yourself. I can tell you for certain that despite his mishaps my brother loves you very much. I just hope that soon you can see yourself as he sees you.”

~As he sees me~. What poetic words, and probably truer than I realized. Perhaps I did need to stop and take a good introspective look at myself once things settled down.

Our conversation came to a halt as we arrived at the gate of the large house on the edge of Jumal. The two of us paused in front of it, and I felt anticipation building within me.

How was this going to go? What was Hailia hoping to say? Was she merely wanting to apologize for what she felt she might have inadvertently caused, or did she know more about who was really behind the campaign against me?

Selenia glanced at the house, then took my hand and stepped in front of the gate. She knocked a few times.

After a tense moment of waiting, we saw the gate open slightly, and the same bunny girl peeked out at us. Her dark eyes widened when she saw us, though not so much in fear as in surprise.

“Oh? Good afternoon, my ladies. I hadn’t realized that Lady Selenia was to accompany you, Lady Luna, and I’m not sure Lady Hailia did either,” she stated, her voice marked with hesitancy.

“I’m so sorry to call on you unexpectedly. I simply wished to accompany Luna to meet Hailia, as I’ve never had the chance to before,” Selenia told her.

“I hope we’re not imposing with this, but we mean no trouble by it,” I added, hoping to reassure her.

The girl gave us a slow nod, then pulled open the gate to allow us entry. “I understand, and I would not deny either of you, as would not my lady. Please, come in.”

We stepped through the gate, which slowly closed behind us, and the girl hurried in front of us, guiding us into the large house. Everything was very quiet and looked much the same as the last time I visited.

“Um, pardon me, but I don’t believe I caught your name the last time I was here, and I feel a bit rude not addressing you by it,” I spoke up.

The bunny stopped and turned to face us, again looking surprised. “Oh, there is no need for that. It is perfectly fine if you do not know my name. I am still quite lowly as a servant, as are most of my family,” she responded, her head bowed.

That bothered me, especially knowing what those feelings were like. “Nonsense. A servant has just as much worth as any other, so please, tell us your name so we may address you properly,” I requested.

I thought I saw tears well up in her eyes, but the girl quickly did her best to hide them, and a sweet smile crossed her face.

“Goodness. I don’t believe anyone has ever said such kind words to me other than Lady Hailia, but I appreciate them immensely.” She gave us a polite bow, the full skirt of her pink dress swaying with the movement. “I am Quinta. It is very nice to make your acquaintance.”

Selenia and I returned her bow. “It’s nice to meet you, Quinta. I am Selenia, the youngest child of Lord Jekia, and you already know Luna, my brother Rayne’s beta,” Selenia introduced herself.

“I do, and it is nice to see Lady Luna again along with meeting you, as I know Lady Hailia will say too. Please, right this way. Let us not keep her waiting,” Quinta told us, gesturing for us to continue following her.

We followed her down the hallway to one of the large parlors, where she opened the door and we stepped inside. The room was quite spacious and very comfortable with the breeze coming through the large open windows all around it.

That breeze made the light green curtains around them move gently, almost like they were dancing. Hailia was sitting on one of the couches on the far side of the room, and she stood up as we entered.

She looked much the same as when I’d met her weeks before. Her black-as-night hair was tied up in a bun and had hair sticks with hanging flowers in it, and she wore a long, loose black robe with golden flowers embroidered onto it.

The front was open enough to see the top of her breasts and part of her shoulders. “Good afternoon, Lady Luna. It’s so nice to see you again,” she greeted me.

She bowed to me as she spoke, then to Selenia. “And Lady Selenia. You truly are as lovely as your mother, and have grown to look much like her.”

“Thank you very much. You are quite lovely yourself, and it’s an honor to have this chance to meet and speak with you. As I told Quinta, I do hope that I’m not imposing by suddenly coming with Luna,” Selenia responded.

“Not at all. I have no mind for your company, although I fear that our conversation may not be that happy for a first meeting. I hope you can forgive me if the overtones are a bit dreary,” Hailia told her.

“I understand and accept that. I’m certain you know that we all have been concerned about things that have come up against Luna,” Selenia said.

“Very much so.” Hailia stepped to us, stopping in front of me and touching my cheek. Her gesture was very sweet and gentle, as were her eyes. “I am so sorry that they have been so cruel in their words to and about you. I know all too well how they bite just as bad as any physical pain.”

“They do, but I’m not blaming you. Aside from that, if you wished to talk to me like this, then I’ll take it that you know something more about it,” I stated.

“I’m afraid I may, even if it is only an educated guess at this time,” Hailia responded. She glanced at the nearby round oak table. “Come and sit with me. Let us speak freely here where there are no prying ears.”

I wondered if she was aware that Emelio could listen in but decided not to say anything. It might’ve been better just to let that one be.

Quinta returned to the room with a kettle of tea and some white porcelain cups as we sat down, pouring the tea into them and setting them in front of us while politely inquiring if we’d like sugar or honey.

“I am fine with the tea as it is. How about you, Luna?” Selenia answered.

“I’m fine as well,” I concurred.

“Indeed. Thank you so much, Quinta. You’re always so sweet,” Hailia praised her.

“You are very welcome, my lady. Please, let me know if you need anything else,” Quinta responded, bowing before leaving the room.

I watched her leave before speaking, “May I ask if she’s a personal servant?”

“She is, although she has always been my closest friend too. She even welcomed me back when I was able to come home and offered to stay here with me to keep me company.” Hailia caught herself, “Oh, well, home as in here. I’ll never be welcomed back to my childhood home.”

“Because you were banished before, right?” I guessed.

Hailia wasn’t the least bit surprised. “Ah, so you know about it.”

“Daddy spoke to all of us about what happened,” Selenia told her. “He also stressed to us that he no longer believes you were involved in any way. He says that he believes you were framed.”

Hailia took a sip of her tea, then gently set her cup on the table, slowly nodding her head with her eyes closed. Her expression looked pained, but she managed to speak evenly.

“I was, and I am grateful that Lord Jekia realized that. Let me say too that I have never held any blame or anger toward him for what happened. None of us are perfect, and I know full well that it was almost too easy for them to pull the wool over the eyes of most, especially with my heritage. I suppose that is also why I took my interest in Lady Luna so quickly. I had hoped to meet her from the moment I heard about her because there are traits that we may share.”

Her words caught my attention. “Wait. Are you stating that you and I are alike?”

“In some ways, yes,” Hailia confirmed. She looked at me and Selenia. “Tell me, did Lord Jekia disclose my heritage to you?”

“No, he didn’t. He only told me that you were born to a different mother than Madame Lucille and that you were considered the product of an affair,” I answered.

“Ah, Lucille.” Hailia let out a long breath as she frowned. “I do apologize for being so blunt, but I hold no care toward my older sister. I detest even calling her that.” She caught herself before saying any more about it. “But I should not allow myself to get into such personal feelings here and off subject. While you know that my father is a Faerie just like her and his wife, my mother was quite different. She is an aswang.”

Selenia stiffened, her eyes going wide. “You are kidding. How did an aswang manage to get into one of the matchmaking houses? They are far too dangerous for such things!”

She was right. These creatures were feared both within the mortal world and the Veil. They typically lived in the deep forests around the mountains, and while some functioned like witches, others were more like vampires.

While I had never seen one, I had heard stories about them, as many others had. They were typically beautiful-looking creatures but tended to be quite vicious toward those who crossed them or entered their territory, not to mention having a habit of feasting on blood and bones.

“She did not come into one of the houses. That was simply the cover story that was used. It was my father who ran into her by chance one night when he was coming through one of the forests on his way home from one of the far villages. I cannot say what precipitated anything that happened that night. All I know is that I was created, and I was dropped at the main house several months later right after my birth. It appears from the letter left with me that they felt I had too much Fae blood within me, so I was not useful as an aswang,” Hailia explained.

“And Daddy knows all of this?” Selenia verified.

“He does,” Hailia confirmed. “He had to know about it considering my bloodline from my mother’s side could be dangerous.” She folded her hands on the table. “Yet I have never felt that I ever wished to harm any others. Instead, I grew up longing to be accepted. I knew they feared me, though I admit that for a long time, I did not understand why. I can even recall many times crying to my father and asking him why the other children called me a monster, and why my own sister would never stand up for me and looked at me with disdain. It was hard for me to understand what my mixed blood meant when I was a young child, but perhaps that was also because he tried so hard to protect me from the ugly truths.”

I looked down, knowing how she felt all too well. The memories of my own childhood returned, of the other children jeering at me because they knew what my father was.

They called me a monster too, but I didn’t have anyone there to tell me that it wasn’t true. At least she had her father, and he must’ve loved her regardless of how she’d ended up coming into the world.

“It’s obvious that he loved you dearly. He wouldn’t have tried so hard to protect you if he hadn’t,” I stated.

“I completely agree with that, and I feel to this day that Father passed away because of his love for me. Well, I say passed away, but you both know that he was killed, and the blame was easily placed on me,” Hailia responded.

“And you’re telling us this because you believe the same ones who blamed you might be trying to come after me,” I guessed.

“Yes. I’m quite concerned that such is the case. From what I have noticed, the rumors about you appear to be coming directly from the houses, and Quinta has told me that she has been noticing the same. While I understand why you would be skeptical of me, I cannot help but suspect that the origins have come from my sister’s house,” Hailia confessed.

“Yes. That’s the suspicion that I’ve had too, especially after speaking to a few friends of mine. Do you know of more that we do not?” Selenia asked her.

“Not much more say for the center of what has come out originating with those girls, but I also work closely with a few of them, so I was hoping that you wouldn’t mind if I did a bit of probing for you,” Hailia offered.

“I suppose that’s fine, though I wouldn’t want to cause you any more trouble. I realize that you’ve had more than your share, and it’s been very unfair to you,” I told her.

“I won’t deny that, and I know that you understand much of what I have experienced all too well. I confess that it’s part of why I wish to help you as I do. I’m sure there are many like us who had experienced discrimination simply for how we were born. Forgive me if I’m being assuming with this, but I honestly feel that you may be the one who can change those outlooks now,” Hailia admitted.

“You’re probably right about that, and it’s the aim Daddy’s had for a long time, as I’ve heard the other rulers have as well. We aren’t concerned either about anything bad happening since Rayne chose Luna. We’ve welcomed her into our family, and wish for others in these lands to welcome her as well. If you can help us with that, then we’d really appreciate it,” Selenia responded.

“I would too. All I wish for is to be able to live peacefully with Rayne, and perhaps I can help you obtain some peace now that you’ve been allowed to return,” I added.

“That would be wonderful of you, but please do not be too concerned about me. I am fine as I am,” Hailia assured me before standing up with us.

“However, for now, let us continue to look into all of this. I will probe into my family’s matchmaking house and let you know what I find. That said, would it be all right if we meet again soon?”

“Yes. I wouldn’t mind at all, although I believe Rayne will wish to be with me at this next meeting,” I warned her.

“If that is his wish, then I have no issue with it. I do trust Lord Jekia and his family, and I know that they all believe I am not a monster,” Hailia conceded.

Yet as she spoke, I swore I could see a hint of worry in her eyes. It made me wonder if she feared Rayne may not completely believe her innocence.

Did I believe it? I couldn’t completely say yet. While I wished to trust Hailia, I knew that trust could be quite fragile, and she may be trying to deflect blame from herself.

Even if she didn’t kill her father, she may have reason to be against me. But for now, I simply smiled and accepted her words as truth.

Only time could tell if Hailia was being honest with us, and if not, then we would allow Lord Jekia to handle things with her. Until then, I would strive to continue moving forward, and making my place in these lands as Rayne’s beta and another future Mistress of the Veil, no matter what I needed to do.