A/N: Hi! Yes! I am alive! I'm terribly sorry for how late this chapter is, but I suppose I've been... figuring things out, in the broad sense. I would like to thank you all for your patience and for your support. I would not have the motivation to continue writing otherwise, so it is greatly appreciated :)

So, let's recap—Subaru proclaims that he is the father of Yui's child, Eve, in front of the whole town. Yui is mortified, Shu is enraged, and KarlHeinz is... entertained? Shu is sick and has gone to warn Yui about an audience with his father for the following day, pushing her to admit the truth—which, she does not.

Shall we continue?

allyelle~

For neither man nor angel can discern hypocrisy,

the only evil that walks invisible, except to God alone.

—John Milton, Paradise Lost

.:. 13 .:.

"What's an uptight freak like you doin' in a place like this?"

Ayato threw the question at the doctor along with a cup of ale, the sour-coloured liquid doing little to tempt him into conversation.

Reiji had left the sickly lord's bedside at Subaru's request and soon found himself in the tavern, his well-groomed appearance drawing in glances of suspicion. The men—and the entertaining women—gave him a wide girth, but his lips still managed to curl in distaste at the clotted air. When he returned to the castle, he would scald his skin and clothes with boiling water to be rid of the place's filth.

He had eyed Subaru Sakamaki warily, unsure on whether to believe the claim of an impetuous youth. Perhaps he was in love with his ex-wife and would do anything to lessen her shame, to have everyone believe he had her for himself. Reiji had even gone as far to seek the great lord's counsel on the matter, but Karl Sakamaki did not seem to suspect any of his sons, and was requesting Yui Komori's presence to satisfy his personal curiosity.

But Subaru's confession was great, and he could not ignore it, no matter how far-fetched it seemed.

Reiji ignored the drink and zoned in on the sparkling, dark-blooded jewel pinned to Ayato's chest. He pitied the broach to be stuck on such a grimy shift; it was an injustice.

"I am sure you are well aware," he began, "that to wear a garment above your station will result in a flogging, at the very least."

Ayato was like a magpie, pickpocketing the streets for anything that glittered: the watches of officials, jewellery, a bulging pouch. Anything to elevate his status. He was not shy to state punishment, either. His mother's lashings were cruel, but the whip—often commanded by his father—was crueller. He would still bear the scars; all of his brothers would.

"What Yours Truly finds, he keeps," said Ayato with a self-satisfied grin; he slapped his palm over the gem as though taking a pledge. "Figured the stinking rich have enough in those mighty houses of theirs. It can't hurt 'em to lose a ruby or two."

Reiji gave him a level stare; Ayato's ears reddened.

"Jeez!" he exclaimed, waving the tray above his head. "Should have known why you'd be sniffing around here. You gonna tattle on me to that old bastard? See if I care," he scoffed, ripping the broach from his shirt. "This one's dull anyway."

"Not at all," Reiji said, "it would do you well to speak with less haste. What business would I have with stolen trinkets? It pains me to say, but I am here to request your services."

Ayato blinked, the metal tray slipping from his grip, but the clatter went unheard over the shouts of men and the snatches of music. His surprise gone, he puffed his chest like a mating bird.

"You do, do you? Well, if you think Yours Truly's prices come cheap, you can—"

Reiji's eye twitched. There may have been an unshaven man before him, but his temperament remained as unreasonable as a child's.

Despite the initial impression of the doctor, he had plenty of black money at his disposal. With an abundance of flatteries and pitiable tales, he had wormed his way into a lodging at the castle, and he intended to stay until he had enough information to close his case. Reiji could have easily bought an apartment overlooking the water, or a spacious farmhouse with stretches of green. However, solitude would not sate his thirst for revenge. He could not settle into a new life when the door to the past lay open and undiscovered.

"It is not wise to take any propositions coming from a man who is incapable of fastening his own shirt," he interrupted. "Fetch me the information I desire, and the gold will be yours."

"Hah?" Ayato, affronted, flew forwards to rest his hands on the bar-top. "Like hell Yours Truly'd risk his neck for something as dumb as eavesdropping—"

"Information is not limited to mere words. Or, should I take your attitude as a refusal?"

"No!" Sulking at his bruised pride but thinking about the piles of gleaming gold, he grumbled out, "I'll do it—as if you could find somebody better than Yours Truly anyway."

"Good," Reiji said, giving a thin-lipped smile. "You have entered Yui Komori's residence before, so doing it once more will be an easy feat, wouldn't you agree?"

Ayato was stung, and Reiji could see the mechanisms working as he fumbled for an explanation. He raised a gloved-hand.

"Calm yourself," he said. "I have not yet decided where my suspicion lies. Your work will supply the answer for me, after all."

Settled, he took a long breath and poured himself a drink, casting a wary glance over his shoulder. Cordelia had the eyes of a hawk, and the claws to match. He could not be caught slacking.

"That brat all along, huh? Well, at least he figured out where to stick it." Ayato snorted into his cup. "Don't see why you need to keep sticking your nose in. That guy has already admitted to it. What's the point?"

"There is no greater truth than a confession, I am well aware. And yet..."

Reiji frowned and let his words hang. He could not understand his own uncertainty, but he could understand Ayato's. Subaru and Ayato may have never shared a civil conversation, but they often sought one another's company, whether it was for a round of drinks, a wager, or a brawl. His words showed hesitance; his words showed an inkling of family loyalty.

Abruptly, the doctor stood. "The choice is yours—family or gold. Come and find me when you have fully decided on your answer."

Bemused at his sudden exit, Ayato yelled at his back, "Family? Like hell I'd ever consider him my family! Look, you freak, Yours Truly said he'd do it, so what's the damn problem?"

"I do not have the time, nor the patience, to waste on empty words," Reiji replied. "For a man in your position, gold will be far more loyal to you than those blue-bloods ever will. Do you wish to remain a bar-servant for the rest of your days? My, and I thought your mother had higher hopes for you." He brushed the dirt from his tailcoat and turned his head. "Heed this warning—do not let your hesitance turn into her disappointment. I bid you goodnight."

Reiji dipped his chin in farewell and fled the tavern; Ayato stood glaring at his goblet before slapping it from the bar-top. Regretfully, he caught his reflection in the puddle. He wished to see a crown of gold, a collar of lace, and jewels studding every finger. Rather, he saw a common whore's son, grimy and scowling.

Frustrated, he cried, "Oi, hysteric! Grab a mop and clean this shit up already!"

.:.

Cursing his brother and his own bad-tempered horse, Subaru Sakamaki set out at dawn. The clumsy hoof-prints belonging to Shu's mare had iced over, and he prayed that he hadn't been thrown and left to die in some thicket. Digging in his heels, he followed the trail to Yui's cottage, sending the snow flying. Yet when the groggy-eyed boy opened the door, he was confused.

"Kid," he said, pushing his way into the house; the baby screamed at the new cold. "You know where they are?"

Sora chewed his lower-lip, and after a moment, nodded. He ducked underneath his arm and flew out of the door, halting with a cry as he acknowledged the freezing earth below his feet. Subaru grumbled about idiocy in winter.

"Shoes," he emphasised, tossing a pair warmed by the fire. "Snow is cold. You wanna lose your toes?"

Wide-eyed, Sora shook his head and hopped into his slippers. He led him to the barn, and just as Subaru clicked the lock, the boy tugged on his robe.

"What?" he snapped, immediately wincing at his tone. Sora trembled, and Subaru knew it was not because of the cold. He forced himself to soften. "C'mon… spit it out, kid."

"M-Miss Yui is tending to a sick animal," he said, knotting his hands. "I know nothin' else, s-sir."

With a rushed bow, Sora sprinted back to the cottage, rubbing feeling into his arms. Subaru watched, biting his cheek at the sound of Eve's leaking howls.

He kicked open the barn doors with more force than he had intended, the white-winter daylight bleaching the black space. Specks of dust blurred the air. Shu's grey mare startled and pinned back her ears; Earl ignored the clamour and dove his nose into a bucket of oats.

Shu jerked his head, squinting. Yui was asleep beside him, her braid undone and falling in thick waves down her back; her hand lay slack around a plate of apples, peeled and quartered and only half-eaten. The night had sucked the juices dry, leaving them browned and shrivelled.

Yui Komori had spoilt him, he had no doubt.

Shu's blush was fleeting, and Subaru was convinced he imagined it. The embarrassed could not manage the smirk he wore, nor could the sick. He grappled between the sweetness of relief, and the sweetness of tossing a handful of hay at his face.

"Here already?" Shu said, his voice heavy with sleep. "I never pegged you for a morning person."

Subaru grinded his teeth and snarled, "And I never pegged you for a crazy bastard, yet here we are. You… you have some damn explaining to do. Fuck," he gestured to Yui's unconscious form, "look at her! You were supposed to warn her, not make more work for her!"

Shu's eyes were locked onto Yui's crown where the sunrise dappled it golden. "I told you… I wanted a woman to entertain me."

Subaru slammed his fist into a wooden beam and Shu held a breath, feeling the creaks of the fragile structure.

"She ain't here to entertain you!"

He massaged his neck, cringing. "Quieten down. That woman exhausted herself with worries and lectures, not on my whims."

Subaru paid a sceptical glance toward the apples, her indecently loose hair and the pale flesh of his chest. Yet as he was about to question it, Yui had begun to stir.

He crouched, knocked his knuckles against her forehead and said, "That's a nice snore you got."

Blinking away dreams, she gathered her hair and darted her head between them. "S-Subaru? It's... morning," she realised, with an edge of disappointment. As reality seeped into her brain, she inhaled sharply and jumped to her feet. "Evie—Shu!" she gushed, indecisive on whom to give her fussing. "I—I overslept! How could I do something so thoughtless!"

Without standing, Shu reached and tugged on a piece of her hair; Yui yelped and stumbled backwards.

"Stop hopping about, you stupid cricket... you're making me dizzy." He sighed and pulled his shirt over his head. It was terribly thin and reeked of livestock, and he realised his ache for a hot bath. He would feel better clean and rid of the dregs of his sickness. "She's... alright," he said, forgetting himself.

Yui's eyes grew wide. "Huh? You... you checked?"

Subaru snorted. "Probably couldn't sleep with her screams, more like."

She ignored him and pressed, "And she let you... hold her? Quietly?"

"Look, it's not a big deal."

She lowered herself into the hay and tucked her skirts. "Shu," she said, beaming, and he stared, awed at her ability to smile so bright. "Thank you very much."

"You're dressed," she continued, startling him out of his daze. "Good—that means you're feeling the cold again. But just for my piece of mind..." Yui shuffled forwards, clutching the medical sack to her chest. She laid her palm across his forehead, and this time, she did not flinch at the heat. "Oh, thank goodness," she breathed, sketching the cross into the air. "No more fever. But you will not be fully recovered for a few more days. You must rest and eat well, Shu. Please, I beg you, never do something so foolish again—I do not care whether I am left turning blue in the snow. You did not only worry me, but Subaru also."

Subaru, who had been challenged to a staring contest by a flock of bloodthirsty hens, shook his fists and piped, "W-Who the fuck said I was worried? I was worried about my damn position in this family if that bastard got trampled to death by that crazy beast he calls a horse—"

"Oi," Shu frowned, offended on his horse's behalf.

"Winter spawns a whole other breed of idiot," Subaru groused, crossing his arms. "You think I got the time to be fucking worrying about all of 'em, hah?"

Yui watched them bicker, her smile never faltering. She had almost forgotten that she would be meeting with their father today. Lord Karl Sakamaki was a charming man, with a cunning, wicked mind and an icy-cold smile. Yui had never held a conversation with him before; no, she was too inferior. She saw him in snippets throughout the years: in the castle windows, watching her play, his golden eyes flashing with something she could not read. She feared him even then, shrinking into the brothers' shadows.

However, Yui had faced his ridicule before, on his very own doorstep.

So, she thought, this is the price for love and I must do it once more—I must do it for the rest of my days. I will be judged, I will be shamed. My letter has been a cruel teacher, and my skin is thicker. I am not afraid. I am not afraid.

"What a pained expression," Shu drawled. "Are you afraid?"

"No," Yui replied, quickly. "No, I am not afraid."

"Yeah, right," Subaru grumbled, kicking away the flapping poultry; Shu, silent, raised an eyebrow.

"Y-Yes, I am—afraid," she muttered, twisting her hands. "For a girl like me, to be asked to the castle... it is a little overwhelming." She blushed at the intensity of their eyes and unlocked her fingers, waving frantically. "But I am well! I... I'm going to wash. I cannot face your father with a head full of straw, can I?"

She dusted off her apron and rose, wearing a smile which, this time, did not meet her eyes.

In her wake, Shu's attention was fixed on the gentle swinging of the barn doors. Subaru unbuckled his saddlebag.

"You got a long fucking wait until summer yet," he said, tossing him a bundle of clothes, rich with wool. Shu, whose shoulders were hunched and jittering, shrugged on the layers immediately. "Look," Subaru continued, glaring down his snow-caked boots, "I'm not blind, alright? Not once have you stopped caring for her, so do yourself a favour and quit kidding yourself. I'm done with your 'I don't care about her' and 'do what you want with her' bullshit. You're a transparent bastard too. No-one'd risk their life for a woman they can barely tolerate."

Shu was quiet for a long while, and when the air became hopelessly thick, Subaru resigned, spewed a curse, and strode to fetch his horse in the dooryard.

"Check that beast of yours," he warned, "we're leaving as soon as she's ready. I ain't dragging this shit out, you hear?"

"...You're noisy," was all the eldest mumbled, but Subaru swore those blue eyes held him a little differently.

.:.

Yui Komori found the two lords waiting beside the oak, their horses snuffling the snow. She was pink-skinned and clean, her twin braids swooped underneath a headdress. She wore her finest attire—a skirt of deep crimson with sleeves of trimmed lace—but nothing dared to outshine the craftsmanship of her letter.

Eve should have been immobilised within her swaddle, but her chubby hands always managed to sneak outward to pull on the letter's hem. Yui gently chided her and tucked her in, afraid of the biting frost.

"Give the kid to me and get on," Subaru said, transferring his reins into one hand. "We haven't got all day."

Yui shook her head and squinted upward at the sky. There was a light falling of snow, fracturing the morning.

"No," she told him, swiping at the flakes clinging to her eyelashes. "I will not be delivered like livestock. I will take the cart and drive there myself."

Shu coughed at the cold stuck in his lungs; Yui shot him a concerned glance. "That man will not be greeting you at the gates, foolish woman. He will not care whether you arrive by horseback or by donkey, nor will he care for your dress. You are being hindered by your pride."

Yui flushed and took an abrupt step forward, spooking his horse. "Do not dare say a word to me about foolishness, Shu Sakamaki, because I will not hear it. Your father has stripped me of everything but my pride—if I am to become stuck, I will walk. I am in no hurry to be shamed!"

Spinning on her heel, she trudged through the snow, hearing snatches of their voices behind her.

"Oi! Shit, Cricket, you—!"

"Enough," Shu cut in, steering his horse with impatience. "She has made her choice—she does not need your fussing. Heed it, brat... that animal is not for decoration."

Yui waited until she could no longer hear their steady hoof-beats before re-entering the barn. It was warm and dim and filled with reminders of Shu. Her mood depleted at the emptiness. The cowhide was rumpled and his straw-bed was strewn; he had abandoned his slippers in favour of boots. They were splendid things made of velvet and embellished with glass beads, and Yui stowed them safely until she could return them to him.

"Come, Earl," she said, combing her fingers through his mane. "That bucket is long empty."

The door creaked open and Yui craned to see pale, thin fingers curled around the frame.

"Sora," she stifled a laugh, "is all well with you? It is early still. Sleep some more if you can."

"The sun is too bright," he said, eyeballing her headdress. "You... You're going into town? Alone?"

A woman is not suited to independence.

Those words, rephrased to her over and over, drummed in her skull.

But what must one do, she thought, if they shun me into solitude?

"Not today," she answered, beckoning him out of the cold. "Today, I am taking a trip to the castle. And so," she straightened her headpiece, "I must be respectful in my appearance."

Sora skipped to the window and scrubbed away the cobwebs, tilting his head high. "It looks so... so tall and scary from down here. A-Aren't you scared, Miss Yui?"

"A little," she shrugged, brushing a finger across her daughter's soft cheek. "But anybody would be afraid to venture into a strange place all alone, don't you think?"

"I couldn't do it," said Sora with a dramatized shiver, "not in a million years. What..." he swallowed his uncertainty, "what's it like? Have you ever been inside?"

"Once," she dragged the word out with thought, "when I was very young."

Yui remembered the day with surprising clarity. Lord Sakamaki had taken the morning ship to discuss trading routes with a foreign ambassador and could be gone for weeks at a time. Subaru, meanwhile, had been jovial at his freedom. His servants, nanny and tutor would remain in charge of his discipline, but with his temper, their fear would make them sweet.

At seventeen, it was expected that Shu accompanied his father, and although she rarely saw him in those days, she could not help but fret about his sensitive stomach on the rough seas.

"Papa," Yui laughed, taking the vestment he was mending from his lap. The stitching was wobbly and his fingertips bloody from the pinpricks. "Please, let me. Blood is not so easy to clean."

Seiji Komori sighed in relief and removed his glasses, rubbing the place where they pinched his nose. "Ah, yes. Thank you, my child."

With a tender gaze, the minister watched his daughter work by the stove, humming as she stitched. Yui was on the cusp of womanhood, and soon she would belong to him no longer. He imagined her in a home of her own, mending her husband's clothes, her body plump with child.

For a child without a mother's guidance, Seiji thought, you will make a fine wife.

It was the proper way and he would be happy to see her settled, but he felt a pang of sadness, as though he was locking a wild bird in a cage.

"Papa?" Yui said with a scrunch to her brow. "That'll be the mistress for the coal money. Do we... have enough? I-If not I can do some favours for the family for the late payment—!"

"There is no need," Seiji replied, weary, as he lifted a hollow ornament from the mantelpiece. Yui's palms drooped with the weight of the gold, and she stressed about the quality of their meals for the upcoming weeks.

But, she comforted herself, at least we will be warm.

With a reminding knock on the door, Yui flushed and sprinted down the stairs, the mad flurry of her skirts teasing the flames.

"Stand by!"

She unlocked the door and flung it open. It was not the stout, hot-tempered mistress awaiting her payment; it was Shu, half-turned towards the street.

"I thought you would not answer," he mumbled.

"S-Shu?" Yui spluttered, unable to mask her surprise. Worry knotted her stomach—had something happened?

His eyes wandered to her hands. "Were you planning on paying for my company? If you're so desperate to get into my bed," he smirked, "all you have to do is ask."

Her worry gone, she swatted his chest. "Shu," she hissed, "my father is home and you are in a church. Please be respectful." Thinking herself a little rude, she cleared her throat and added, "Why on earth are you here?"

He cocked an eyebrow. "Disappointed?"

"No, not at all!" She shook her head and fingered the drawstring."Only... surprised. Subaru said you would be gone with your father."

Shu hummed at her words, staged a sniffle and a cough, then flashed a grin."It would have been an inconvenience to infect the entirety of the crew. That man could not risk a sullied reputation, after all... what a shame."

"Oh, you're terrible." Yui felt the tension roll out of her body. Her shoulders slumped, and she laughed. "Won't you come in? It has been far too long, Shu. Papa will be glad to see you well."

He ignored her invitation and nodded down to the stitching stuffed into her pocket. "...What's this?" he drawled, "Practising at being a good wife?" Shu gave a derisive snort and rocked back on his heels. "How worthless. Come," he said, seizing her wrist, "and entertain me. You will have little time to do so when you are lapping up your husband's demands like a dog."

Confused, Yui frowned at his sudden burst of sourness. She uttered her goodbyes and followed him to his horse. She was still a beautiful, wild thing, but a filly with little experience of the world. Shu's horse was his most treasured gift, and even when the animal nipped Yui's skin, the only words which passed his lips were—"Hah, jealous thing."

Yui had travelled to the castle many times, and this time she thought no different. She imagined her afternoon passing by the riverbank, slipping and sliding on the ice with Subaru whilst Shu dozed nearby. Then, when the sun lowered, they would retreat to the heat of the stables nursing their bruised, frozen limbs, sipping hot ale which Subaru's tantrum had awarded.

"Shu?" Yui said, puzzled, lagging a few paces behind. "W-We're going inside? Why?"

"You really are a troublesome woman," he sighed, pushing open the great, iron-cladded doors. "I am cold. I am not the kind of man who will sit outside in midwinter and listen to your nonsense. Go and find that brat if you both want to die like fools."

Uncomfortable, Yui toed the snow. "No... I just... didn't think I would be allowed inside, is all. I do not want to get you in trouble with your father."

Shu was silent for a beat before repeating, "It is cold. Come inside."

Some would have been awed by the untouchable ceilings, the maze-like hallways and glittering grandeur. However, Yui Komori was not impressed by its magnitude. She saw wasted potential, unnecessary luxuries, and in its ringing emptiness, a profound sense of loneliness.

"What an interesting face," said Shu, already settled into a chair adjacent to a cabinet of taxidermy. "Are you angry?"

"Not angry... more sad," Yui replied, her eyes exploring the space. "It saddens me that a single pair of hands could own something so... so expansive! Yet it is home to so few. You could house an entire village within these walls, but you do not, and they are left to die in winter. Who decided it was fair... who decided anything was fair and right in this world?"

Shu looked pleased, like he had caught a rabbit in a snare.

"Hypocrite," he sneered. "Supposedly... this God of yours decides what is fair and right in this world, yet you stand there and frown upon His distribution? Your worship is fickle... better you accept that He is a cruel ruler rather than a loving one. Otherwise... who are your prayers for? God, the devil... I see no difference. Neither change what is good and bad in this world... you have to do that yourself."

Yui followed his gaze to an oil-painting. It captured a young, fair-haired woman with an infant on her lap, his pudgy hands bunching the black silk of her skirts. They had the same eyes; his laughed, hers guarded.

"Your mother was very beautiful," Yui said, but Shu was quiet. She gave a defeated smile and took up the neighbouring chair. "Shu," she started, "It must be very lonely living here... I'm sorry." He turned, unsure of her apology. "Even when I am married, I would never abandon you. You are my family, Shu, you and Subaru both. I will always stay by your side... for as long as you will allow it."

Shu blinked. "Family?"

Yui nodded. "I love my papa, and I am grateful for everything he's done for me... but, without my mother, I suppose many wouldn't consider us a normal family. People think I am strange and unruly because I haven't had a woman's teachings. But... since I met you... I've always felt accepted. We've made a family of our own over the years, don't you think?"

"Miss Yui?"

Yui snapped out of her reverie and smiled, unfurling the bridle from its hook.

"Come, Sora. Will you help me fetch the cart? Earl is quite the grumpy thing when faced with the prospect of work."

.:.

Her journey to the castle was time consuming, but uneventful. Yui was thankful for the frozen snow as soft, pillowy drifts would conceal ditches and trap her wheels. Although she had insisted on walking if such an inconvenience occurred, she feared her daughter being exposed to such bitterness for an extended period of time. Still, she was shivering beneath her cloak, and Yui hoped Lord Sakamaki would not punish her by holding their meeting in a room without a hearth.

She pulled the reins and came to a halt in the courtyard. Stable boys were on guard, yet none rushed to help her dismount. They merely giggled at the sight of her shabby cart and swore when left with the task of leading away her stubborn shire. Yui shot them a concerned glance, a silent plea not to whip him.

"This way if you will, Mistress."

The castle remained largely unaltered. It was too-big in Yui's mind, like herself wearing her father's clothes. It was impractically large, and Yui felt awkward surrounded by such wealth. Even dressed in her finest gown, she looked no finer than the serving-girls dipping in-and-out of each room, fighting to be invisible. Yui wished she could do the same, though Eve's cries would not allow it.

It would have been some comfort for one of the brothers to have stalled in the courtyard, then she would not have had to face the mass of judgement alone.

But this is not their battle to fight, Yui thought. It is yours alone.

"Mistress?" repeated the servant, giving her a curious stare.

Yui blushed. "Y-Yes, I am coming."

She was led into a room with a long banquet table hosting numerous men: lords, wealthy merchants, town officials. This was the great hall—the brothers had once explained—where the family entertained. Silver goblets studded the table along with platters of meat and cheese, their greases glossing the men's lips.

Yui spotted her father amongst them, his hands drawn in prayer. Shu was sat beside Lord Sakamaki at the head, dodging each question with a hum of indifference. Somewhat, the space reminded her of the church, with its coloured-glass and cherubs moulded into the stone arches.

"Mistress Komori as requested, my lord."

All eyes shot up to meet the woman and her misbehaving infant in the doorway. Yui felt like she was being held underneath a burning-hot wick and started to sweat, reversing and thumping her back against the door. She saw blue, brown, gold eyes—but not red.

"Where is Su—Master Subaru?"

Lord Sakamaki clapped. "Such haste, girl! You would not grace us men with a 'good morrow' before delivering your demands?" The men spluttered with laughter, but with their superior's thoughtful gaze, they soon quieted. "Subaru... ah, he possesses too much of his mother's blood. Their minds are controlled by whims of the heart rather than rationale. It can become an unseemly sight... and we do not need such company in today's meeting, wouldn't you agree?"

Yui did not know whether this was a question she should answer. Yet, as she observed further, she realised no seat had been made for her. She stood out, like a red rose in blossoms of white. They had made it abundantly clear that a woman would never be made welcome at a man's table.

Their attitude jolted her, and she responded, "If... If you believe your son as guilty as I, my lord, then shouldn't all be present in the process of judgement?"

"For a peasant girl," Karl Sakamaki began, reclining in his chair, "your words are admirable. Say, Reverend," he turned to Seiji Komori, whose cup trembled in his grip. "Is her education your doing?"

"S-Self-taught mainly, my lord."

"A smart girl," he said, "a girl with many prospects?"

"O-Once, sir."

"Once," he repeated, "and, my dear fellow, does it not disappoint you to see your own flesh and blood standing before you, shamed with the devil's stain?"

"Sir—" Yui piped, wanting to banish her father's discomfort, but she was cut off with a glint of gold.

"A woman will speak when spoken to, do you understand, girl?"

Yui lowered her eyes and fisted the overflow of Eve's blankets.

Quiet, she told herself. A wise woman always picks her battles.

"When his mind is not clouded with rage," Lord Sakamaki continued, standing now, his shoes clacking the tiles with each pace. The hearth cast him in long shadows, like splashes of ink. "My son is a smart boy. Master Subaru and your daughter have been... closely linked for many years. Do you have any reason to believe this claim to be true, Reverend?"

Seiji blanched and stumbled over his words. "M-My lord, such a question—!"

"Sir, my father is uncomfortable," Yui pushed on. "Please remember that I am the one under your scrutiny."

Karl Sakamaki spun on his heel, his hair fluttering about his person. He never angered, Yui noticed. Rather, there was ice in his eyes and an edge to his smile. He was always collected, and it unnerved her.

"Quite right," he said, his hands tied behind his back. "We are here to determine the parentage of your bastard. In order for us to do so, we need to see their face, do we not? Come, girl. Give them to me."

Panic raced through her veins. Instinctively, Yui created distance and clenched Eve tight to her chest. The baby wailed in pain, but Yui would not release.

"N-No... never."

Lord Sakamaki snapped his fingers and a handful of servants descended on her. Yui ducked out of their reach, but her poor agility only bought her seconds. Two prised her arms away from her chest while another grappled the infant out of her embrace. Frantic, she thrashed to escape their grip, to bolt and reclaim her child, but their strength would not relent. Her breaths came out quick and sharp.

"No! Eve! Evie!" Yui shrieked, watching, helpless, as she was transferred into the lord's arms. "Let me go!"

Karl Sakamaki exhaled, ashamed at the scene. "If only it was so easy to prise his name from your lips."

He peeled back the layers of fur concealing her birthmark. "How peculiar..." he muttered, not with disgust, but interest. For a moment, his eyes flickered towards Shu, whose attention was focused on the groves running through the oak. The muscle in his jaw tensed.

"Behold," the lord announced, lifting the infant above his head. "The devil's own child!"

The men gasped, scowled and wrinkled their noses.

"She has her mother's letter on her skin! How can it be?"

"Ugly! Disgusting!"

"This is God's intervention at work! The thing is damned!"

"Leave her!" Yui cried, clawing the air from her crumpled heap. "All of you... take a look inside yourselves! God will only find a letter as scarlet as mine!"

Suddenly, a chair screeched against the stone.

"Master Shu?" A merchant called.

His expression was blank, but his complexion was pale. "Stop," he said. "You have had your humiliation. Are you satisfied?"

"S-Shu," Yui whispered, her voice hoarse.

Shu did not spare her a glance. "You are causing the woman distress. Hand her back the child... my ears cannot withstand any more of this shrieking."

When the servants did not release Yui immediately, he gave them a terrible look. "...What are you waiting for?"

Their heads darted between the two lords, awaiting confirmation. "M-My lord?"

With hesitance, Karl Sakamaki nodded. "Very well."

Shu took the unsettled child and made his way over to Yui's form. She was a pitiful sight to behold; the delicate lace adorning her dress had torn during the struggle, her skin raw from the men's rough hands. Her headpiece sat lopsided and her cheeks were tracked with tears. He would see many women like this when leaving the tavern, crouched in the darkness of an alley, soiled from a drunk's impatience.

Shu extended his hand and Yui looked at it, bemused.

He pursed his lips and turned away. "Take it and stand... My hand is growing tired."

She accepted and gave a sad, grateful smile. "T-Thank you..."

Lord Sakamaki sunk into his chair and stared down into his swilling goblet. "Tell me, girl. What is it that you hope to gain from this? No smart woman acts out of love. Do you wish for money? A title, perhaps?"

"No... nothing," Yui answered, flexing her fingers. "I do not claim to be a smart woman... A woman in love is never smart. I wish to live a quiet life with my child... I wish for peace."

"Ho!" An official cheered. "The criminal wishes to be left in peace?"

"Fool! Your interrogations will only cease once you have named him!"

"As you can see," Lord Sakamaki cooled the growing fire, "Our time is precious. Now, you have a sharp tongue, girl… a dangerous thing on a woman. Better you use it wisely to speak of your crimes! Is my son the father of this child?"

Yui corrected her composure and scrubbed her eyes, settling Eve into the crook of her elbow.

"You are a man with many sons, Lord Sakamaki. It is wrong to expect me to admit to my sins when you do not acknowledge your own."

Sensing the men had little else to discuss apart from her disgusting nerve, Yui bowed and fled, but Shu caught her arm.

"Stupid woman," he whispered. "You do not ask for peace by destroying it."