One week after the Medical Council evaluation, Duke Romian approached Elara with an unexpected proposal.
"I think it's time you met Helena," he said.
They were in his study, reviewing intelligence on Lady Chen's grandson. Elara looked up from the documents.
"Your daughter. The one you've been hiding for forty years."
"Yes. I've been corresponding with her since our marriage. She's curious about you. And I think... I think it's important for you to meet her. To understand what I'm protecting. What I've sacrificed forty years of potential family life to keep safe."
Elara set down her papers. "Is it safe? If the Emperor's agents are watching, meeting her could expose her location."
"I've been visiting her covertly for forty years. I know how to avoid surveillance." Duke Romian pulled out a map. "Her home is three days' travel from the capital. Remote location, carefully hidden. We'd go in complete disguise, minimal escort, using routes I've established over decades."
"When?"
