Everyone was frozen, caught off guard by Megumi's question. Even Eliza didn't know how to react. To make sure she had heard correctly, Asuka repeated, her voice heavy with disbelief:
"…show her horns again?"
Megumi blushed violently, waving her hands in front of her face, her heart racing.
"Ah! N-n-not in that way! It's just… they're beautiful! I mean, different! And… I wanted to see them better. I was just curious!"
Anne brought her hand to her mouth to stifle a laugh, while Lili muttered something in French, clearly torn between laughing and rolling her eyes.
Eliza, however, seemed delighted. She slid her chair back a little and leaned forward, resting her chin in the palm of her hand.
"Beautiful, huh… No one has ever asked me that with such sweetness…"
She then ran her fingers through her hair, and in a soft crimson flash, her horns appeared again. Megumi swallowed hard, eyes wide.
"Haa…they really are beautiful." Megumi's voice was low, fascinated, as she lightly touched her own fingers, still in disbelief. "...is this your true form?
Eliza lifted her chin, a proud smile curving her lips. Her eyes sparkled with mischief and confidence.
"Yes. The one I don't need to hide to please mortals."
Lili scoffed, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow, her French dripping with sarcasm:
"Or to scare them enough to call a priest… ma chère, vraiment."
Kaido leaned back slightly, eyeing the horns.
"A priest… with those horns?" he let out ironically. "What nonsense. For Eliza, it would have to be an exorcist."
Eliza slowly turned her gaze to him. The smile had completely vanished.
"Be careful what you wish for, Kaido."
Kaido straightened in his chair, feeling the weight of that look. It wasn't a threat, but it wasn't empty words either.
Before the tension could rise again, Anne lightly tapped her fork against her glass, drawing everyone's attention back to the table.
"Very well," she said, with a calm and gentle smile. "I think we've had enough excitement for now. Let's just eat quietly, alright?"
There was a brief silence, then scattered nods of agreement. Asuka sat back down, and lunch continued.
- - -
The gentle breeze carried the scent of the garden to the porch, where Anne, Asuka, and Megumi sat around an elegant round table, steaming teacups before them.
The distant sound of birds blended with occasional laughter from the garden—where Lili walked side by side with Kaido, holding his arm somewhat possessively.
Asuka squinted, sighed, and crossed her arms.
"Tch… how are we supposed to work like this?" she murmured, irritated, glancing at the couple in the distance. "That looks like anything but research."
Anne set her cup down delicately, observing Asuka with a calm and maternal gaze, a soft smile lighting her lips.
"Thank you, Asuka."
"Thank you? For what?" Asuka turned to her, confused.
Anne looked back to the garden, watching Lili laugh at something Kaido. There was tenderness in her eyes, but also melancholy.
"For being a friend to my daughter."
Asuka blinked, unsure how to respond immediately.
Friend… Lili, a friend? That's an overstatement…
Anne took a deep breath before continuing, her voice calm, introspective.
"Lili has always lived in a very lonely world. But since you met, I notice a different light in her. More alive."
She lowered her gaze to the tea, as if searching for the words in its still reflection.
"Even though she's graceful and impeccable in society, Emilie never really felt at ease among the other girls in our circle. They're polite, yes, but trapped by appearances. She has always had… a freer spirit. And that frightens a certain type of person, given the strict life we lead."
Megumi listened in silence, resting her chin on her hands.
Asuka turned her gaze back to the garden, seeing Lili pull Kaido closer.
"'Free' is an… interesting word for her," she commented, with an ironic tone.
Anne let out a brief and soft laugh, just enough to break the stillness of the moment.
"Yes… I admit Emilie can be… intense, at times."
She then raised her gaze to Asuka, assessing her with the same tranquil attention as before.
"But now that you are part of her daily life, even her laughter sounds more sincere. Your arguments… seem to give her energy. She needs that—someone unafraid to stand up to her."
Asuka remained silent for a moment. She hadn't expected such frankness. She brought a hand to the back of her neck and looked away, uncomfortable.
"And Eliza? Wouldn't she be better for that? I… I'm not much of a friend. We argue all the time."
Anne's smile softened, discreetly delighted by the sincerity of the response.
"The strongest relationships are rarely calm," she said, calmly. "My daughter is like the wind. She needs someone firm so she doesn't get lost. As for Elizabeth… she is more like an older sister to Emilie, an exuberant inspiration. You, however, are the one who confronts her head-on, who keeps her fire alive without giving in to her whims."
Megumi smiled shyly, blowing on her cup.
"I think… Asuka really is like that."
"Then it seems Lili is in good hands," Anne nodded.
A breeze crossed the veranda, carrying a few petals that landed on the table.
Asuka watched them silently. She said nothing—but, against her own will, she felt touched by Anne's words. Then she fixed her gaze on the Rochefort heiress in the distance, thoughtful, and asked:
"If Lili had such a restricted life… how did she learn to fight like that?"
Anne placed her cup on the table carefully. For a moment, her usual smile disappeared, replaced by a distant, nostalgic look.
"Ah… that's a story my husband always preferred to keep secret," she began, her voice soft but firm. "Lili was twelve when she was kidnapped."
Megumi let out a small cry of shock, bringing her hand to her mouth.
"Kidnapped?! How so?"
"Fortunately, it all ended well. A group tried to take her for money, but my daughter reacted in a way no one expected."
A proud smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
"She fought one of the kidnappers and managed to escape alone. When she came home, covered in wounds and completely exhilarated, it seemed she had loved the experience."
Asuka remained silent. The breeze ran through her hair, and for a moment, she looked at Lili with an expression mixing respect and understanding—the gaze of recognition.
Anne continued, her voice lower, confessional:
"And that scared me even more. I didn't understand what she found so thrilling in that experience. My dear husband was so worried about her safety that he didn't notice our daughter's new passion. He went crazy, surrounded her with guards… poor girl, she couldn't take a step without six pairs of eyes watching."
"Oh, heavens…" Megumi groaned. "I can't even imagine…"
Anne let out a soft, amused laugh, but tinged with concern.
"Our residence turned into a real headquarters overnight. Every move of our daughter was observed, controlled…" she paused, shaking her head with a resigned smile. "I disliked the idea, but I did not oppose it. We could not risk losing her again."
Anne took a deep breath before continuing, as if choosing each memory carefully.
"Then Lili decided to speak with her father. She told him, with all the seriousness in the world, that she wanted to learn martial arts."
A brief smile appeared on her lips, almost ironic.
"He thought the girl had lost her mind. For him, it was unthinkable. A young girl of our standing wanting to fight… seemed like a dangerous whim. Emilie, however, didn't back down. She told him she wanted to learn to defend herself. That she never wanted to feel helpless again."
Her gaze darkened slightly.
"That only enraged him even more. He interpreted those words as a direct challenge to his authority. The conversation ended there. He absolutely forbade her from ever bringing it up again."
Asuka remained silent. Her gaze hardened for a moment, not in anger, but in pity—a sharp pang in her chest imagining Lili in that house, surrounded by rules and fear disguised as protection.
Then, as if something suddenly clicked, she took a deep breath. Her gaze swept the garden and fixed on Lili in the distance.
Ehh, otōsan… now it makes sense why she reacted that way.
Anne took a small sip of tea, letting the steam rise slowly. Her gaze became distant, remembering her daughter in that decisive moment.
"At that moment, I finally realized Emilie's true intention. It wasn't just to learn to defend herself… she wanted to fight. Feel the confrontation, measure her strength. And that's what made her exhilarated when she returned home after the kidnapping. The excitement in her eyes was the flame of her own will, the strength she had discovered within herself."
"So… did you let her practice martial arts, Miss Anne?" Megumi asked curiously.
"Not exactly. I could see in my daughter's eyes that it was destroying her not to. Even without fully agreeing, I decided to support her in secret. It was the only way to keep our family together."
"That's… so brave, Miss Anne."
"Perhaps. Or perhaps it's just a mother's thing. I realized that if I tried to snuff out my daughter's flame, she would cease to be who she is." Anne smiled tenderly.
Asuka straightened in her chair, thoughtful, before asking:
"But she keeps saying she learned everything on her own. Is that true?"
A light laugh escaped Anne.
"For the most part, yes. There was a time she ran away from home at night to participate in street fights. She came back scratched, dirty, but with a sparkle in her eyes I hadn't seen since she was a child."
Then she laughed at herself.
"And the strangest part is that, even in those fights, she never lost her poise. She wore dresses, spun as if on stage… and incorporated ballet steps into her strikes."
Megumi laughed, enchanted. Asuka, crossing her arms, muttered, trying to sound serious.
"Yeah… those spins and jumps are annoying. And who fights in a dress, anyway?"
Anne and Megumi laughed together, and even Asuka ended up smiling, surrendering to that brief moment of lightness that seemed to illuminate the garden.
Anne took a deep breath and continued.
"When my husband realized he couldn't control her anymore, he entrusted Sebastian to watch over her. He became a kind of martial tutor, mastering Emilie's style, perfecting every movement… and guiding my daughter's growth with safety and discipline."
Her smile returned, proud but tinged with slight melancholy.
"It wasn't the same as being with her father, of course… but at that moment, it was all she needed."
Asuka took a sip of tea, crossed her arms, and commented:
"I like Sebastian… he exudes an impressive presence."
Anne smiled slightly, agreeing.
"Yes… Sebastian is flawless in everything he does. Absolutely reliable."
"And the vampire?" Asuka asked, more serious. "How did you meet her?"
Anne rested her gaze on her cup, thoughtful.
"Ah… Eliza." A small sigh escaped her. "To be honest, I'm not entirely sure. One day, Emilie arrived with her and said she wanted Elizabeth to be part of the family. We were naturally taken aback and initially refused… yet she nearly turned the entire mansion upside down until she convinced us."
A playful smile curved Anne's lips.
"Emilie said it was like having a sister. I just found the choice of words curious, considering that her 'sister' is… a thousand years old."
"A thousand… what?!" Megumi nearly choked, spitting tea to the side. "Sorry!" she said quickly, trying to clean herself with the napkin.
Anne let out a restrained laugh and nodded to one of the maids waiting near the door.
"Eunice, veuillez emmener Mlle Megumi se rafraîchir, s'il vous plaît."
Megumi, embarrassed, stood up, still blushing, and left with the maid.
Anne and Asuka were left alone, letting the moment breathe.