It was dark by the time they reached the manor Finn had given to Attia's father, who had since returned to the name he had on the Inside. Rather than Cadwell, he went by Ronan, and like Attia and Keiro, forwent a surname. He was at the door to greet the party, but none were offended when all his attention was on Attia.

"It's so good to see you, darling," he said gently as he attempted to pull her into his embrace. She'd accepted the hug, opting to put her arms around his neck for a moment before she pulled away. He'd led her further into the manor, Finn, Claudia, and Keiro following behind. As Attia looked around the room, she narrowed her eyes at the woman who'd entered the room through one of the hallways. "Attia, this is my maid, Claire," he said as he motioned to her. At the mention of her name, she smiled and crossed the room, dropping into a curtsy before Finn and Claudia.

"Your maid?" Attia repeated as she shifted her eyes to her father.

"Yes," he nodded.

"She's wearing diamond earrings and a pearl necklace," Attia replied, her eyes shifting back to the woman for a second.

"They're fake," he answered, keeping his gaze on his daughter.

"Really? Is the silk dress fake, too?" Attia questioned as she rose an eyebrow. He was not equipped with an answer and in the quiet that followed, Keiro, Finn, and Claudia hoped their decision to stay had not been a bad one.

"You're sharp as ever, darling," he finally said with a smile as he reached out to touch her shoulder. "But enough about that. Tell me, what's wrong, darling?"

"What?" she replied sharply as she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Something's bothering you. I can tell," he answered simply.

"Stop being ridiculous," she told him. Before he answered, she turned her head to peer out the door, just as the men started to carry the trunks into the manor. "Where are the rooms?" she asked when she looked back to him.

"Yours is down this hall. First door on the right. Everyone else can just pick a room down the other hallway," he answered as he gestured to each side of the room where the hallways led.

"Why is my room specific?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

"It has a bathroom," he answered with a smile. "I'm sure you and Keiro will enjoy the added privacy."

"No," Attia said as she started to shake her head. Before she could say anything, Morgan had wandered into the house, giggling as usual.

"The manor is beautiful," she said excited as she turned to Ronan. She'd also latched herself onto Keiro's arm. "How long have you been restoring it?"

"Is that what's wrong, darling?" Ronan said, turning away from Morgan to look at Atta, without even bothering acknowledging her presence.

"No," Attia snapped. "There's nothing bothering me, so let it go."

"Is something wrong, Attia?" Morgan asked. Attia had groaned as she shook her head and began to walk away from the group. She'd headed towards the left hallway which led to her room, but Morgan had followed along when Ronan had. "Is my room down here, too? We can talk about it tonight."

"No," Attia said strongly. "Your room is on that side of the house," she said as she turned around to face Morgan, motioning with one hand to the other side of the room. "Far away from mine, where I can't hear you in the middle of the night."

"Oh well, Keiro and I aren't that loud."

"Oh god," Attia groaned as she turned away from the woman and walked away as briskly as she could. She'd touched the side of her leg, as though scratching an itch, but only Keiro knew she was feeling for her knife to be sure it was there should she need it. Granted, he hadn't counted on Morgan's entirely inappropriate comments.

For dinner, Attia had wandered into the dining hall, finding the long table set for only six. Ronan and Claire were seated on one side of the table. Finn was at the head of the table with Claudia immediately to his right. When Attia sat beside her father, only one seat was left. When Keiro and Morgan had stepped into the dining hall, Ronan had stood to face them. "I'm sorry, Morgan. It seems the chef had miscounted the number of seats. I hope you don't mind eating with the Knights and whatnot."

"Oh," Morgan said as she looked over the table, then focused her gaze on Ronan once again. "It's no problem," she responded gently with a forced smile before she turned to Keiro. Keiro had eyed Ronan carefully for a moment before he placed a kiss on her cheek. She'd left the room and Keiro had taken the last seat on the other side beside Claudia. With narrowed eyes, he glared across the table at Attia.

"Don't look at me like that," she replied sharply. "I had nothing to do with it." Keiro let out a breath as he looked away from her, opting to remain silent. As the servers brought out the wine and food, Ronan turned to look at Attia.

"So what else had changed that you've not told me about?" he asked curiously.

"I'm Crown Heir, and you have a mistress. That about sums it up."

Ronan cleared his throat before he took a big gulp of his wine. When he returned his gaze to Attia, he nodded slowly. "I was afraid you would not react favorably if I'd told you the truth about Claire. And she actually was my maid in the beginning," he explained carefully.

"Next time try less expensive clothing, then," she suggested without meeting his gaze.

"Then you're not upset?"

"You can do whatever you want with your life," she answered. Ronan nodded before he turned back to the other side of the table. Before anyone else could put in a comment, Attia had spoken again. "How did you afford all this, anyway?" she asked as she peered around the room, then looked at him.

"Well," he shrugged as he smiled.

"I don't want to know," she told him suddenly as she turned away.

"It's not like that, Attia," he replied defensively and she turned to meet his gaze again.

"Really? It wasn't some kind of con?"

"Well," he started and Attia sighed as she rolled her eyes. "Look, these guys came into the nearby town and stolen a bunch of jewelry and gold and I had managed to get most of it back," he explained and Attia had narrowed her eyes at him.

"Most of it?" she repeated.

"Yes. Unfortunately, they must have… spent the rest."

"Yeah, I'm sure they were the ones who spent the rest," Attia responded sarcastically. "You cannot run cons on the Outside. That is it," she declared as she turned to her food. "And how do you even run a con by yourself anymore?"

"Well, I wasn't by myself. Claire makes for quite the distraction. She's a very beautiful woman."

"So she cleans and steals?" Attia replied before she sipped her wine. "How ever did you lure her here?"

Ronan had only laughed at her comment, and Attia had even smiled. Finn, Claudia, and Keiro, who served as only witnesses to the exchange, were glad Attia could have such a casual, if not odd, conversation with her father considering the background they had.

"She cooks, too," Ronan put in and Attia laughed as she shook her head.

"Glad you're enjoying yourself, then."

"What is Crown Heir?" he asked, but Attia had groaned as she shook her head.

"Nothing," she said simply.

"She inherits the Realm if Finn and Claudia fall off the planet," Keiro explained. The shock on Ronan's face was not out of place. He looked to Finn and Claudia first, both of whom nodded to confirm what Keiro had crudely put. When he turned to Attia, however, she hardly appeared to have even heard what they'd said. Instead, she was sipping her wine and eating off her plate.

"You could be Queen?" he asked.

"No," Attia said as she turned to him. "They'd have to be missing for a year for that. And they're married. We're hoping for a child like, tomorrow, preferably," she said, looking to the couple to emphasis her comments. "And even if I did, by some odd stroke of fate, become Queen, I would abdicate in a heartbeat."

"You don't want to Queen?" he replied.

"No," she repeated. "Court life is over rated. In fact, it kind of sucks, really."

"Are you not happy there?"

Attia took a deep breath as she shook her head, but made no verbal response. She continued eating her dinner, hoping her father would do the same. She also hoped somebody else would begin talking so Ronan would stop.

"You could always come here, Attia," he offered. "You know that."

"That wouldn't be much better," she admitted. She'd finished her plate and leaned back in her chair, her eyes sweeping over the table, but resting on Keiro for a moment longer than usual.

"Will you not admit that Lady Morgan bothers you?" he asked, hardly caring that Keiro was in the room and listening to the entire conversation.

"Ok, I hate the girl, but she doesn't bother me that much," Attia said with a laughed as she shook her head. "She'd mildly annoying."

"That's kind," Keiro commented, and Attia turned to him, eyes narrowed.

"I agree," Attia responded, her voice carrying an edge. Finn, Claudia, and Keiro knew what her tone of voice meant, while her father and Claire were simply guessing.

"Just because you're jealous, or-"

"Jealous?" Attia repeated, not allowing Keiro to finish speaking. It was clear he hadn't chosen the correct response, the other four at the table were unwilling to intervene. "Of Morgan? Have you lost your mind? The woman is-"

"Nice? Sweet? Maybe the word you're looking for, is unarmed!" Keiro suggested. Attia had stood up from the table, with every intent to simply leave the room, but Keiro had stood as well.

"Since when do women like Morgan suddenly hold your interest for longer than three hours?" Attia demanded as she turned back to him. She had taken only a few steps away from the table, while Keiro still stood where his seat had been.

"Women like Morgan?" Keiro repeated as he moved around the head of the table and walked to the other side where Attia was. As he drew closer, she remained where she stood, even as only a few feet separated them. "Well, they're nice, Attia. They let me be right every once in a while."

"Oh, so you mean they're stupid?" Attia replied as she titled her head and rose an eyebrow. She saw the flash across Keiro's face, but still had no intention of backing down from in. In the last few months they'd been separated, she'd prided herself on the ability to keep the peace. Now, however, she couldn't care less if they got caught in another screaming match. Nor did she care that Finn, Claudia, and her father in the room. Moreover, she couldn't care less that half of Court could probably hear them as well, Morgan included.

"They're just not as stubborn as you. And lack all the rough edges that you still have."

"Oh," Attia exclaimed like she actually cared about what he was saying. "So now you like woman who know how to walk in heels and hold their tea cups correctly?"

"That's not what I said," Keiro replied, suddenly defensive. Attia had rolled her eyes as she started to turn away from him. She'd only taken a step away before she felt Keiro's fingers clamp around her arm forcefully. He'd tugged to pull her back, and though she'd restrained as much as she could, Keiro simply over powered her.

"That sounds like what you said," Attia snapped at him as she turned back to face him under his will. "And in that case, have fun with Morgan. She's perfectly polite, and knows her place at Court were every man thinks they run the world."

Keiro had groaned at what Attia had said. He didn't respond, so she simply continued. "And what is it about her and all those other whores you like?" she demanded, her voice raising again. "That they wear those stupid corsets everyday? Is it just physical? Have they been told that Protocol was removed? Or is their sole interest find a powerful husband?"

"No, it not the dress," Keiro said simply just to stop Attia's ranting. Of course, she had more, and he was not at all surprised.

"Oh so it's what? They're willingness to roll into bed with you after two minutes?"

"No!"

"Then what!" she'd yelled at him as she pulled her arm from his hand violently. Both knew they'd be bruises on her arm, but they held each other's gazes without flinching. If they were at all aware they had an audience, they didn't care at all.

"She makes me feel needed!" Keiro shouted back at her, but as soon as the words had slipped through him, he seemed to regret it. No matter how hard he could've tried, he knew he couldn't take them back, especially as Attia took slow measured steps away from him. Her face softened, but her eyes narrowed for a moment as she continued to hold his gaze, still unsure of how to respond to him.

"Needed?" she repeated but in a tone that was dramatically softer than the one she'd used previously. It was painfully clear to their four onlookers that the two were finally engaged in a real argument about their relationship and where they stood. "She needs you?"

"No, I feel needed," he corrected, and Attia rolled her eyes but humored him for the distinction he'd drawn. When she didn't respond right away, he simply continued. "Like when we got attacked on the way here-"

"You didn't get attacked on the way here!" Attia yelled suddenly losing her patience for him and his explanation.

"The wheel hit a rock and she thought we were getting attacked," Keiro clarified and Attia groaned as she turned away from him.

"That's not needy, that's stupid, Keiro," Attia yelled at him as she made her way towards the exit. She'd already opened the door when he replied.

"No, it's nice when beautiful woman needs your help with something," Keiro corrected. Attia had paused in the door way, deciding on whether or not to answer. When she did, she slammed the door shut and turned back to him. "It's nice to feel like you're actually useful for something every once in a while," he told her.

"Like you're needed?" Attia replied, and though he detected the sarcasm in her voice, his nodded anyway. "Morgan is so helpless she makes everyone feel needed, I hope you realize. Even during her imaginary attacks-"

"This isn't about Morgan!" Keiro yelled as he crossed the room to stand right in front of Attia. "It's not about her, whether you're willing to accept that or not. She makes me feel needed, and that's not a feeling a man gets around you!"

"What, I'm not helpless? You knew that going in, Keiro!" Attia yelled at him. Though he'd been the one to get close to her, he walked away to stand on the other side of the room. "And as I recall, you were the one who pursued me, so if feeling needed was something you were looking for-"

"Stop trying to blame everything on me!" Keiro stopped her as he turned back to face her again. "Yeah, I was a little drunk and got shot down by every woman that night, does that make you feel better, Attia? That even drunk you were my last choice? Is that what you want to hear!"

Attia didn't answer him, but even from the other side of the room, he knew he'd hurt her. She simply turned her back to him and left the room without saying anything further. She'd taken only two steps out of the dining hall, before she noticed that many of the serving boys, messengers, and others from Court were all privy to the argument she and Keiro had. Three steps later, she noticed Morgan lingering near the staircase, her face twisted up in a way Attia wasn't accustomed to seeing. She blocked out Morgan's expression, and four steps more, the loud echoing footsteps behind her registered in her mind a split second before she felt Keiro pulled her back around to face him. He'd run out of the dining hall after her so fast, he might've noticed the several serving boys, but had definitely missed Morgan when he leaned into Attia's ear.

"I didn't mean that," he said simply, but lingered in the space beside her for much longer than necessary. Attia could hear his breathing, the breaths coming in faster than they should, and coming out harder. When she put her hands on his chest and pushed him away, she blocked all of that out to focus simply on the words and the argument.

"I don't care," she replied so coldly that he almost believed her. "If she makes you feel so damn needed, then why are you wasting your breath on me? We both know damn well that I don't need you, Keiro. I don't need you for anything, and I would be fine without you and without Finn."

Keiro swallowed as he kept his eyes on her, willing her to do anything to show him she didn't really believe what she'd said. A shift in her eyes, an uneasy swallow. Anything. But before he could really watch her responses, she turned away from him, and he had no intentions of following her any further.

"Yeah, I'm aware, Attia, but thank you anyway," he called after her, his words dripping in sarcasm. Since she was moving, he didn't notice the way his words made every one of her muscles tighten, nor did he hear the stifled half-gasp, half-sob that had somehow escaped her throat.