When Alistar arrived at home, he wasn’t surprised to find that Caedmon was out of the house. Oddly enough, he wasn’t much in the mood for reading, so he sought out Madeline and Patricia, and insisted on helping them with their daily duties. If life on the working line had taught him anything, it was that having a task to complete distracted from the concept of time. So long as he kept busy, his uncle would return before he knew it.

“You’re pretty reliable, aren’t you?” Patricia patted his head as if he were a dog, beaming with affection from behind her sleek, ebony hair.

“He certainly doesn’t hold back,” agreed Madeline, as she stared at the cluttered clothesline that they had just filled to capacity.

Although he didn’t have much experience with washing clothes, he managed to keep up with the two of them while doing a decent job. He always tried his best, and was positive that they appreciated this, since they seemed to have grown quite fond of him over the weeks. Madeline often dropped by his room with savoury snacks from the pantry, while Patricia had a habit of singing wonderful songs whenever the three worked alongside one another. She always left it to Alistar to decide on which song they would hear, since he was absolutely enamoured with her fantastical voice, and had memorized the five melodies that she always sang.

Now that they had finished with the clothing, it was time to join the other house servants who were currently cleaning around the manor house. The three of them were to sweep and dust the entirety of the entrance hall.

In light of the beautiful summer day, they had decided to take a detour along the perimeter of the manor house. Walking along a jolly row of jaspers, the three waved to the gardeners who were working hard to keep the flowers in check.

“Do you know who Uncle Caedmon is visiting?”

“I believe it’s Master Tramon,” said Madeline. “He’s an old friend that lives at the collegia.”

“I wish he would hurry,” sighed Alistar, staring off at the distant fountains that separated the first and second sections of the garden.

Patricia stopped to pluck a rose from one of the many flowerbeds that lined the pathway. She kept a few vases of flowers in her quarters, which Alistar had seen when they had detoured there in order to deposit a few hydrangeas from the central gardens. She smelled the flower as they resumed walking, but looked over after a sudden thought. “Come to think of it, weren’t you supposed to be off with Anice today? My lord was elated that the two of you have been getting along so well.”

“I was with her,” he admitted, “but once we met up with the other children… For some reason, it was uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable?” said Patricia. “The children weren’t mean to you, were they? Children tend to tease each other from time to time, so please don’t be discouraged.”

“Some children. Can you imagine our Alistar teasing someone else?”

“Why, I couldn’t dream of it.”

They clearly hadn’t seen him play with Anice, he thought.

“I wasn’t teased. It’s just that, back in Crystellum I only played with Kaila. The other children, they…they didn’t fair too well. When I think back on it, we were the only ones that were allowed to play away from everyone else. Aside from her, I only ever talked to adults.”

It hadn’t been his intention, but he knew that he’d dampened their moods. They stopped walking, and Patricia knelt down to face him, placing her hands upon his shoulders in a gentle and reassuring gesture. “It seems that you’re not used to being around other children, so you don’t know how to act around them. Don’t fret over it. As long as you keep trying, that uncomfortable feeling will fade away before you know it. Just act as you normally would and the other children will come to see what a splendid person you are.”

“You’ll have plenty of friends, mark my words,” smiled Madeline. “Don’t look so glum. See there, Master Caedmon has just returned!”

Two horsemen were just passing through the front gates, where a pair of armed men stood at attention. Within minutes, the riders were drawing just short of the wide steps of the entranceway. Only Caedmon dismounted, and then passed his reins over to the other man, who led them off to the stables. Caedmon looked quite satisfied over something, his face covered by a pleased grin.

“Look here, it’s my favourite nephew,” he greeted. “Along with the finest house servants in all of Distan!”

The women laughed after a quick bow.

“I take it you were successful?” said Madeline.

“As successful as one can be when it comes to that stubborn old goat.” Looking at Alistar, he said, “You’ve returned much earlier than I expected. Where’s Anice?”

“She’s off with her friends.”

“She didn’t abandon you, I hope?” His voice lowered, which foretold of punishment in Anice’s future.

“No,” he said quickly, “we went all around the town, then to attend lessons on the hilltop just beyond the last stretch of East Street. I met her friends, but decided to return on my own when they went off to play.”

“As long as she didn’t leave you,” he said. “But this works well for me. Come, let us have that discussion.”

After thanking them for their advice, Alistar left Madeline and Patricia to their duties and followed his uncle up to his office. Once the doors were closed, Caedmon dragged a stray chair in front of his preferred desk and had Alistar sit opposite him.

“Where to begin.” Caedmon’s handsome face was shaded by the dim glow of the lamplight. “As you know, from now on you will be living here at the manor house. While we’re all elated to have you, there’s still the matter of my father and my brothers to consider.”

His grandfather and his other uncles?

“What about them?”

“I won’t beat around the bush. They’re difficult people, and their opinions on the matter hold more weight than my own.” He scratched at his chin. “What I’m saying is that I cannot adopt you into the family, not legally anyhow.”

“Adopt me? What do you mean?”

“As far as they know, you don’t exist."

“But—”

“Just listen for a few more moments. This is a tricky dilemma, since anyone with enough understanding will see that you’re a Silverkin just by glancing at your eyes. They might be mostly golden, but they also have the same shade of silver that’s unique to our bloodline. As such, if you ever meet another Silverkin, you must say that you are the illegitimate child of a distant relative. Nobody will give it a second thought, as those of our house don’t know the meaning of restraint when it comes to…” He coughed. “Anyhow, we must keep your origins a secret.”

“I don’t understand,” he frowned. “Wouldn’t they be happy to know that I’m alive? I’m part of the family, aren’t I?”

“Yes,” said Caedmon with care. “But that’s where our problem lies. I can’t tell you much, so please forgive me, but I will shed light on the situation where I can. Laisha was my father’s fifth and youngest child. I am the next youngest, below my three brothers. I’m also the only one without a male heir.”

“Heir?”

“Essentially, a son that will succeed me as the ruler of Distan.”

“But what about Anice?”

He shook his head. “In Civus, an heir has to be male. It’s the opposite in other places, but regardless, it’s something I can’t change.”

“Who would make such a rule?”

“That’s not the point to focus on. My brothers have seven sons between them, and no daughters. My father is the ruler of this kingdom, Alistar. This places you as twelfth in the line of succession, above my own uncles and cousins. This wouldn’t be a problem if you were born to one of my brothers, but it’s different with Laisha.”