"What a beautiful view to have at dawn."
Yuki was startled to hear Attila's voice behind her, but she composed herself in time to preserve her dignity. She was at the Host's house, waiting to be received in the open-ceilinged room, which had climbing flowers with aromatic scents.
She looked coldly at Attila, but did not respond. He approached her.
"I'm not talking about the scenery," he added, and when he noticed the determined silence on Yuki's face, he smiled. "Didn't your mother teach you that it's rude not to respond to a compliment?"
Yuki glared at him.
"You said you never wanted me to talk to you again."
"I spoke without thinking."
Yuki returned to her stubborn silence.
"You think I need to apologize, right?" He said and took a deep breath. "I'm not going to apologize. You also accused me unfairly that day. We're even." He said and sat down in front of her. "Selytha is a good girl."
Yuki was moved by the affectionate tone in Atila's voice, but she tried to maintain her cold demeanor, even though her eyes had softened.
"Just like her mother," she said after a while.
Atila looked amused.
"I wouldn't say that about you."
"And what would you say about me?"
"You are an exceptional woman. The most beautiful woman I have ever seen. And even if Farida's crown did not hover invisibly over your head, you would still be recognized as a queen. From the first time I saw you at the hospital, I knew I was in the presence of a woman of great value. A woman who deserved to be much more than a mere secretary. But I don't want you to be a good girl."
Yuki was moved again by the poetic and emotional way he said those words.
"You could have made me more than a secretary, Atila, but you didn't even let me know you existed," she said, but not in an accusatory way.
He was silent for a moment.
"Did you want me... to get closer to you back then?"
"Yes. I was alone with a sick child to raise. Selytha is my strength, but I never felt as weak and helpless as I did in the first months of her hospitalization, because I had to work two jobs to keep her there and had no friends with whom I could share my distress. It was a difficult journey, and if I had had someone like you in my life, perhaps I wouldn't have felt so lost. After I brought Selytha to this palace, she told me about your visits. And I know that even my two jobs wouldn't be enough to cover half of the hospital expenses. I know it was you, and I thank you for that. There's nothing I can do to adequately compensate you."
"You had two jobs?"
"Is that all you heard?"
"No. That was the only thing I didn't know, out of everything you told me."
"I worked washing dishes at night in a restaurant. They let me live in a room in the attic."
Attila became thoughtful.
"I don't need your gratitude, Yuki. That's not what I want you to feel for me. I want you to look at me and see a man, not a friend. What I did for Selytha wasn't for you. It was for her. I love Selytha as if she were my daughter, and she could be living as my daughter in a much better place than this one that stinks of old age, despite its undeniable beauty, if you had come to me. And since you didn't, I can't believe you want to reward me, Yuki, because giving Selytha to the Host to adopt without talking to me first was the height of ingratitude, so yes, I heard everything you said, but I can't believe it."
"I can't look at you as a man, Attila. You missed your chance. I'm married to your brother. And as for Selytha's adoption, I did what I thought was best for her."
"The best thing for her is to be raised by a father, not a great-great-grandfather," Attila said and stood up. "And you're not really married to Sean yet. And I'm going to ask you to keep it that way until I... have the opportunity to take you out to dinner away from this palace."
Yuki opened her mouth to reply, but the Host arrived in the room, along with Selytha, and the girl perked up when she saw the two of them together.
...
"Mom and Uncle Attila... Why does this seem like your place? Side by side?"
Yuki looked reproachfully at Selytha.
"Daughter! You're only three years old! How can you say such nonsense?"
"Mom, I'm almost four!" The girl said as if that made her an adult. "And I just said what everyone in this room thinks, but they're too cowardly to admit it." The girl said and shrugged her shoulders.
Atila's gaze was satisfied, the Host's gaze was worried, and Yuki's gaze was surprised and her face turned red.
"I think you should take her out of school and start homeschooling her. Selytha wasn't like this before she came here." Yuki said to the host, who dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand.
"What are you two doing here?"
"I came to pick up Selytha so we can buy our dresses for the party," Yuki said and looked vengefully at Atila. "I hope you wear something better than that armor and cape, and you're dirty. Has anyone ever told you how much they stink?"
Atila smiled.
"I'm sure you'd rather see me without it," he said, his face clouding over with some memory.
Yuki felt her face burn and, saying goodbye, pushed Selytha outside, but heard him say before she left:
"I'll pick you up at eight o'clock for our dinner."
She didn't turn around to answer, but smiled happily. Being ignored by Sean made her doubt her own feelings, and at that moment, she was willing to live a romance, since her daughter was well and she no longer had to worry about her financial situation. She wanted to experience everything she had deprived herself of.
...
The host turned with a disapproving look at Atila.
"You shouldn't take advantage of this moment, Atila. It's not decent."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"The Pharaoh is busy with matters of the kingdom, and their relationship is... a little distant, but all that will change in less than two weeks. At the big party, Sean intends to win back his wife."
"I didn't ask for so much information, old man. If Sean isn't taking care of the things that belong to him, it's natural that someone smaller than him will value and take advantage of them. I don't care about his problem, but I'm glad to know that when he turns his gaze back to his backup woman, her heart will already be occupied and impenetrable."
"You're taking advantage of her fragility. That's not a conquest worthy of a warrior."
"I'm not taking advantage. Like her, I'm needy."
"You're a big liar."
"No. I... Who better than me to be Yuki's husband? Selytha will have a father, and I doubt Sean will ever be able to take on that role in her life."
The host took a deep breath, not wanting to continue on that subject.
"You have wounded your soul, Attila. What are you doing to the people of Ice?"
"They are invading and attacking us. They are killing all the fire warriors. They are infiltrating us. I have no choice."
"You can point out the culprits and let someone else kill them. I don't understand why your soul is lost now. You've always hunted and killed the Ice people, without consequences."
"Yes. Now they're sending their Royal members. I can't raise my hand against my own blood. And when I do, I feel my soul breaking."
"Why don't you leave that task to someone else?"
"Because I can't detect them until they're too close to warn anyone."
"Do you know what will happen if you kill them all?"
"I know. But I've found an anchor to bring me back from the darkness."
"It doesn't matter who your anchor is. You don't know how many lives will be lost before she can bring you back. You can't tell her, and if she doesn't know... Perhaps all the people of Ice and Fire will be exterminated."
"That's why we have a Pharaoh. He can stop me."
The host looked skeptical.
"Sean never met with the warriors to train again."
"He doesn't need to. He is strong."
"Is he strong enough to defeat you?"
Attila became thoughtful.
"No, if he uses magic or strength. There is only one way he can stop me, and you know I can't talk about it."
The host bowed his head sadly.
"If someone knows who the anchor is and what binds his movements, for you, they lose their effectiveness."
"Yes."