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He made a brief phone call during his flight to tell his mother about his arrival, and she did not seem too surprised to hear about his visit. Enkidu had called her himself to tell her about his accident, but she suspected Gilgamesh was not coming to visit her because of that, and she let him know as much through the few words they exchanged.

As he neared the place, he decided that two days were, after all, too long. He was going to keep his visit's length to the bare minimum; he wanted to be back home again, with Arturia.

He had not bothered elaborating on the phone; he preferred speaking to his mother in person, since he was already on his way there.

They did hear from each other regularly, even though they hadn't met during the past few years. He didn't see his mother often not only because she lived far away, but also because they led different kinds of lives – but that was a subject they had already discussed and clarified a long time before.

What he intended to do with the current visit was to invite her to come to Japan, in order for her and Arturia to finally meet.

He had a feeling that she was somewhat looking forward to meeting his wife – and eagerly so – since she had been asking a lot about her during the last few phone calls. She didn't know anything about the contract he had made with Arturia, nor did she know the details of the wedding, but Gilgamesh suspected that his insightful mother had probably been able to guess that his marriage had not been disinterested.

However, this wasn't the reason why he was going to see her in person; what he wanted was to make sure they agreed on some basic… rules of behaviour.

He still had the keys to her vast mansion, which was quite well hidden in the mountains. He knew that she usually dismissed the staff early when he or Enkidu came for a visit, and indeed, he did not meet anyone when he entered.

As he expected, he found her in her spacious living room, sitting at a table, working on her new designs, even though she was evidently taking a break, if the cup of tea in her hand was anything to go by.

Now that he thought about it, a fondness for tea was something his mother and his wife had in common–

He shook those thoughts away.

"Mother," he called her.

She looked up at him, her long golden locks swaying elegantly in the process.

"Ah, Gilgamesh, welcome." She gave a glance around, obviously awaiting someone else. "Where is your beautiful bride? I imagined you would take her here as well. Don't you think it's time to introduce her by now?"

Gilgamesh sighed. It was not going to be easy.

"Mother, I wanted to speak with you. It's about her."

Ninsun's eyes widened… and she suddenly jumped up from her seat, uncaring about her tea, and squealed loudly, excited beyond measure.

"Is she pregnant? Are you finally giving me grandbabies? Oh Gil, my dear Gil, this is amazing…!" Her eyes were completely enraptured, dreamily envisioning a future only she could see.

This became one of the very rare moments in which Gilgamesh completely lost his composure.

"Mother, what…!?"

Ninsun's overexcited expression turned into an almost comically disappointed one as she carefully sat down again.

"Ah. So, she isn't." She clicked her tongue. "Really though, Gil, you ought to get a move on. You're not going to be young forever, and you and your lovely wife would have such adorable kids…!"

Gilgamesh's face was a petrified mask.

"Mother, do calm down."

Ninsun took notice of his serious mood. That usually wouldn't have been able to stop her from continuing with her normal talk; no one had the right to stop her line of thought, not even her own son, who was responsible of making that line of thought a reality. However, she knew that there had to be a reason for him to come all the way from Japan just to speak with her about his wife.

Therefore, she stood up elegantly, and set her tea aside for a moment, going to a nearby cabinet to take out one of Gilgamesh's favourite red wines. He accepted the glass she gave him with a nod.

This was something very familiar for them: the sporadic times in which Gilgamesh visited his mother, she always had his favourite red wine ready, even though one of the reasons was that it was her favourite wine as well, of course.

Gilgamesh looked at her.

"Mother, I would like you to come visit us, in Japan, so that you can meet my wife – but first, you have to promise that you will not indulge in any of your over-the-top excitements, and especially not mention to Arturia anything about 'grandkids' nor probe about our marriage in any intrusive way. Are we understood?"

Ninsun's eyebrows rose just a little, and her eyes were inquisitive as she inclined her head slightly.

"This is very unusual for you, Gil. From your words, it truly appears that you care very deeply about her."

If only you knew, Mother, Gilgamesh thought in a strange surge of irritation, feeling as if there was a huge weight on his chest. If only you knew.

But he had not come to discuss his feelings for his wife; he had come to make sure the woman in front of him understood his terms.

He would not expose Arturia to his mother's somewhat invasive ways when she came to visit them in Japan. They had agreed to a completely platonic union, and while Arturia had to put up with excessive questions from both the press and high-class vultures sometimes – and she did a great job in her behaviour towards them – he would make sure that she was spared his mother's.

Arturia deserved to have some peace at least within the familiar walls of their house, even – or especially – when his mother was there, without forgetting the fact that it was going to be a very strange experience for her, since he believed he had hardly ever mentioned Ninsun's existence to her.

He knew that his mother would hold back if he asked her to, and that was precisely the reason why he had come in person, to make things clear from the very beginning.

Now that he knew that he was in love with his wife, he believed it was indeed time for Arturia and Ninsun to meet. He knew that Arturia could handle anything that was thrown at her, but he was fully aware of what kind of person his mother was, and therefore the meeting would not happen before she gave him her word about what he asked.

He stared at her, his eyes unyielding as he waited, and she sighed, before taking a glass of wine for herself as well.

"Very well then, Gil. You have my word that I will not be overbearing towards your lovely wife. But your concern worries me: if she can't handle me–"

"Oh, believe me, Mother, she can. That doesn't mean, however, that your first meeting should be stressful for her, since you will be a guest at our house."

The stern message was clear: Ninsun did not have the right to make his wife uncomfortable in her own home.

The blonde woman smirked widely.

"I find it distasteful to repeat myself, but this matter requires it. Seeing you so extremely protective of her is astonishing to say the least, my dear Gil."

Gilgamesh didn't even attempt to stop himself from rolling his eyes and made to sit up, when his mother transfixed him with a chilling look.

"Now, you don't actually think I will allow my son to leave merely a few minutes after getting here, do you?"

He raised an eyebrow, but she did not give him the time to speak. "You are not leaving before tomorrow, at the very least."

Knowing that he could not argue with his mother when she was so deadly serious, he glared at her. There went his plan to go back as soon as possible.

"Only until tomorrow morning. Early morning."

She flipped her hair back casually, and her lips curled into a smirk, so incredibly similar to his own.

"That's fine, since you obviously will not change your mind. Then next week, I'll come visit you at your place, in Japan."

*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*

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Gilgamesh stared at his wife for a few minutes as she was going through her closet, looking for adequate clothes to wear on the following day.

She had been retiring a bit earlier than usual in the evenings, and she had excused it by saying that jet lag was not kind on her, and therefore she meant to sleep as much as possible.

He found it slightly odd, since she had not seemed to have a problem while they were in Europe; however, it was also true that they had been there for work, and he knew that Arturia pushed herself to her limits when she was serious about something – and she was always serious about her work.

He decided he might as well speak up in this precise moment; he had come back from his trip just a few hours before, after taking his leave from his mother in the early morning, and while she had obviously been surprised to see him back sooner than expected, Arturia had not seemed displeased by it at all.

He had liked that. Truly liked that.

"In a few days, we are going to have a guest, who will stay for about a week."

Turning towards him, she raised an eyebrow, slightly furrowing her brow at the same time. Whom could he be referring to? Maybe Enkidu? The cheerful man was about to be discharged from the hospital; maybe he needed to have support in his first days away from constant medical care?

Her mind continued to speculate, but she did not let her thoughts run ahead of herself.

"Who is the guest?" she questioned, her tone as normal as possible.

He took a few steps away from the doorframe and, reaching his bedside table, poured himself a glass of wine. He had yet to convince her to enter a drinking contest with him.

He smirked, looking forward to her reaction.

"My mother is coming to Japan for a few days."

Arturia was taken aback and her eyes widened. His mother?

But… as far as she knew…

Her words clearly reflected her confusion.

"From the way you scarcely talked about her, and using the past tense, I… forgive me, but I had thought that she was no longer alive."

He stared at her over his half-full glass, twirling it in his fingers.

"I never said my mother was dead, Arturia. You just assumed."

He sipped on his wine, observing her face. She seemed lost in thought.

Arturia had not expected anything like this.

His mother was coming to visit. Gilgamesh's mother was coming to stay at their house, she was coming to stay there, for a few days.

Gilgamesh's mother. His mother.

The mere concept of such a thing was making her feel… somewhat anxious.

Enkidu had described her – Ninsun, if she recalled correctly – as a formidable woman, and since she was the person who had raised both him and Gilgamesh, it had to be true.

She was soon going to meet this woman. Such a thing was… Huge? Challenging? Worrisome?

She was snapped out of her thoughts when Gilgamesh leaned forward from his bed in her direction, a strangely puzzled look in his eyes as he studied her expression.

Slowly, an amazed smirk appeared on his lips.

"You… are nervous."

It was a statement, and he chuckled at it, mildly astonished. She tried to glare at him, but failed, and he only chuckled more.

"Ah, but this is amusing in an unusual fashion, Arturia. You did not flinch when you had to meet an insane amount of scavengers belonging to the business society. You did not hesitate when it came to stand your ground in front of that harpy Medea Caster-Kuzuki or those foolish Fraga McRemitz. You slapped me publicly without a trace of embarrassment or shame, and you never held back from confronting me and arguing with me at every given chance… but now that it comes to meeting my mother, away from the cameras and all the press attention that has followed us constantly, you are suddenly nervous?"

Arturia did her best to hide her sudden, unwanted blush. When he put it like that, it made her actually feel some mortification, and she expected even more mockery coming up.

She steeled herself, knowing that he was going to enjoy teasing her for quite a while…– but, to her great surprise, his expression turned gentler.

An odd memory of the expression he had had on the wedding day flashed through her mind, and her treacherous thoughts were unable to deny the similarities between back then and how his features looked now.

She snapped out of it as he spoke again, still looking at her with that strange expression.

"My mother Ninsun is very firm but actually kind, Arturia. She is not necessarily judgemental, and she is probably the most insightful person I know." He smirked. "She can rival Enkidu in terms of deviousness, if she so chooses, but she is much subtler."

Arturia remained silent, but there was no need for her to speak, because Gilgamesh was not finished.

"I went to see her yesterday, in the Middle East." The look he was giving her made her immediately think back on the brief talk they had had, and she now knew where he had been on his short trip abroad. "Every other year or so, Enkidu and I go to visit her; since however Enkidu had an almost fatal accident and since she hasn't been in Japan for a while, I invited her to come here for a few days. She's looking forward to meeting you – though rest assured that she doesn't know anything about the contract. Apparently," and she recognized some annoyance in his voice, "she has been interested in you ever since she heard about the slap incident."

In reply to that, Arturia couldn't stop a small, tiny, minuscule smirk from curving her lips – and Gilgamesh did not fail to notice it.

His half-hearted glare made her hinted smirk widen a little more.

She was sure he was exaggerating to put her more at ease, but she found that this time, she did not mind.

While she could not deny that she did feel some unease at meeting the mother of the man she was married to – and for whom she had developed feelings – she knew that she was curious as well.

After all, Ninsun was bound to be a truly remarkable woman, and meeting her would prove to be… interesting, to say the least.

*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*"*

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As soon as she came home from work with her husband and entered the living room on the upper floor, Arturia looked up, decidedly taken aback, for there was a woman sitting there.

Her hair was Gilgamesh's same shade of blonde, that liquid gold colour Arturia had become very familiar with, and it almost reached her waist in wavy curls.

She wasn't as tall as her son, but she was still taller than her, and she was stunningly beautiful. In fact, a person of great beauty like Medea would pale in comparison. There was something both exotic and ethereal about her features that made it finally possible to understand where Gilgamesh's handsome traits had come from.

Furthermore, the strength of her personality was palpable, even if she hadn't said a word yet. It was obvious that she was a formidable woman.

With some slight hesitation, Arturia came closer, a few steps behind Gilgamesh who had preceded her. All the time she kept reminding herself that there was truly no reason to be apprehensive, and even less to be afraid.

The woman stood up swiftly as soon as she noticed them. She smiled at her son, giving him a look over, before turning to Arturia, and her smile seemed to widen even more.

"Finally, the new Mrs. Uruk. It's good to meet you, my dear."

Her expression was friendly and warm, but for some reason, such a thing made Arturia even more wary.

With a formal bow, she replied, "I am very glad to meet you as well."

The woman truly seemed nice, strangely without a hidden agenda of sorts. With a hand wave, she dismissed her son.

"Keep yourself busy, Gil, as I would like to be alone when I talk with your wife."

She motioned for Arturia to sit in front of her on the other couch, while Gilgamesh only rolled his eyes disdainfully with a, "As charming as always, Mother," before leaving the room.

Arturia saw that the housekeepers had already brought tea using the best silver service, as she had instructed a few days before, in the guest's honour. On the same occasion, the Starks had confirmed to her that Ninsun had been the one who had hired them many years before, and that was why they were so loyal to Gilgamesh's family.

Her smile never leaving her, the woman continued, "Please call me Ninsun. I don't think you would be the type to feel comfortable in calling me 'Mother'."

Arturia observed her sharply, but she was mildly relieved to see that it had not been said maliciously. Like her son, Ninsun seemed to have a way of being capable of understanding her – or at least, of trying to.

She should not forget her manners in meeting her husband's mother.

"Thank you, Ninsun." Following the woman's gesture, she sat down – even though it was quite unusual to have her guest take such control in her own house – and after another second of hesitation, she made the effort of adding, "Please, call me Ria."

Ninsun looked at her with interest.

"Oh? I thought it was a shortened version of your name that only Enkidu used."

Arturia tried to smile, but failed, as she realized the odd truth of her words while she was pronouncing them.

"Everyone I know uses that. Only… only Gilgamesh calls me by my full name."

The other did not comment nor did she stare at her at that; on the contrary, she seemed to accept the fact easily. Then she took her by surprise by leaning forward.

"I've truly been looking forward to meeting you, Ria. There are not many people who can get away with slapping Gil – much less even just attempting to slap him."

Arturia studied her, her surprise and wariness growing by the second. Could Gilgamesh have been right in what he had told her just a few days before? Ninsun did not sound like a resentful mother who was angry because of her child's supposed mistreatment, therefore she decided to inquire about it.

Since she, after all, seemed intent on remaining on the subject, the green-eyed woman steered the conversation away from her possibly having to explaining herself, instead diverting the attention a bit towards Ninsun's thoughts on the matter.

"Forgive me, but you don't seem very worried about the fact that your son got a slap."

The beautiful woman smiled at her again.

"That's because I am his mother, Ria. I know better than anyone that a slap was just what he deserved – and probably needed as well," she added, with a nonchalant chuckle.

Arturia blinked briefly. Well, this was once again unexpected, but when she said 'deserved'… How much, exactly, did Ninsun know about the violent meeting between her hand and Gilgamesh's cheek?

Quite a bit, or so it seemed, and apparently, she wasn't finished. "Trust me, I know my son's flaws. I should have probably done a better job in correcting them… but as a whole, I know I didn't raise him badly at all."

Arturia privately considered that humbleness probably wasn't a trait of the Uruk family. She could not find anything to say to that, so she added a sugar cube to her tea with composure before mixing it and slowly taking a sip, the familiar orange flavour very welcome to her.

Suddenly the older woman leaned forward to stare into her eyes.

"Ria, I will not linger around the subject. Are you happy with my son?"

Arturia was taken aback by that question, her teacup inclining to the side dangerously, for it was indeed an odd thing to ask to a daughter-in-law.

Maybe she was truly asking because she was a mother jealous of her son and wanted to manipulate his wife into leaving – she couldn't forget that Gilgamesh had confirmed to her that his mother was apt at talking people into doing what she wanted – but… it didn't look like it.

If anyone else had asked something like this (which was actually very forward and even offensive if the one asking was not a person close to her) Arturia would have refused to give a reply. But… There had been a flash of something in Ninsun's eyes, something that suspiciously looked like worry.

That was what prompted her to speak, and in a quite truthful way.

"I believe so. This union was… good for us both, and I am confident that it is working."

She stopped after that. She had almost said 'beneficial', but it would have been a bit inappropriate to say. After all, she couldn't be sure about how much Ninsun truly knew about their marriage, especially the financial side of it.

But then again, why did she appear to be concerned?

Once more, curiosity got the best of her, so Arturia asked, as naturally as possible, "I must confess that your question is very much unexpected. I thought you might ask him if he's happy with me, since he's your son. May I know why you asked me such a thing?"

She wasn't aggressive in her tone, but she stood her ground. The woman in front of her may be intimidating, but after giving her an answer to an inquiry that was a bit too direct – especially considering that they had just met – Arturia wanted an answer as well.

Ninsun leaned back against her sofa and sighed. She looked pensive, her gaze getting lost in the distance. Her eyes' shape was similar to Gilgamesh's but the colour wasn't quite crimson; they did not seem to be the same blood red, in fact, they were actually a dark shade of orange, deepened by the light coming in from the windows.

"Of course you may, Ria. I know Gil is a difficult person to be around. He is completely immersed in his work, and it's not easy to deal with him. He wants to be in control of everything, and most of the time, there is a good reason for it. But, he does need to be put in his place sometimes. And while I know very well that you are capable of such a feat, I worry… because it's bound to be a difficult situation for you both."

Arturia was silent. Ninsun was a very strange person, and every word she said made her more puzzling to figure out. The mix of honesty, forwardness and secrecy was definitely unique.

The green-eyed woman debated with herself about what to say, and ended up deciding not to answer the former question, instead asking a new one of her own.

"I'm curious about the reason why you believe I am capable of putting Gilgamesh in his place, Ninsun."

It felt bizarre to ask something like that, even though all she wanted was to understand her husband's mother better. They had just met, yet she seemed to already know so much about her.

The beautiful woman gave another of her carefree chuckles.

"Don't think I'm ignorant about what happened that day in New York, at the shopping mall. As I said, a good slap was not only something he deserved, but probably needed as well." Her eyes were still laughing. "The fact that you did slap him, a response to his undoubtedly proud and arrogant words – I know it was a proposal and I know that it was outrageously phrased – well, that is what makes me certain about the fact that you can stand your ground when it's needed."

Arturia raised an eyebrow, somewhat amused. Only when needed?

"Then I'm afraid I have to admit that it's needed most of the time."

The other woman raised an eyebrow as well.

"Oh really? Do tell, dear. What does that unruly son of mine do to deserve your constant fierce reactions?"

Arturia found herself almost smiling in spite of herself.

"Simply being himself is enough."

Ninsun seemed to like that answer, because she laughed once again, this time with a hint of warmth in it. She loved her son dearly, but she was sensible and she wasn't blind to his arrogance. She also knew that he could easily get on other people's nerves.

About that, though, she cared very little. People in general did not interest her, and if her son offended them, it meant that there was a good reason for it.

Right now, however, she was speaking with her son's wife, and about her, she did care. She did not intend to test her or anything of the kind, as it was not something she believed she should lower herself to do; she just wanted to understand what had made Gilgamesh feel so drawn to her as to disregard the fact that she had slapped his ego, both figuratively and literally.

And she believed she was beginning to see why Gilgamesh had become attracted to her.

"It's good that someone like you is his wife, Ria. You don't allow him to walk over you."

Arturia held back from raising an eyebrow as her thoughts went on how she had told Gilgamesh to stop belittling and patronizing her – even though that had been many, many months before.

Nowadays, while he wasn't exactly kind to her, it was obvious that he respected her much more. But how had Ninsun known…?

She could not help asking it, even if it really seemed that all she did was ask questions, she thought with wry amusement.

"How do you believe I can do such a thing?"

Her true meaning was, how did she think that that arrogant son of hers could actually be forced to behave under her influence?

But Ninsun truly astonished her by quoting her from earlier, her eyes twinkling with a knowing light.

"I've now met you, my dear, and believe me… just being yourself is enough."

Her surprise must have been evident, because the older woman smirked, and Arturia could finally see a true resemblance to her son. Her insightfulness was sharper than she had thought, and she briefly berated herself for forgetting that Gilgamesh had mentioned such a thing.

As she took another sip of her tea and thought about the best way to change the subject, Arturia considered a thing that her husband's mother had told her at the beginning. Since she had not seemed to mind her questions so far, she decided there was nothing wrong in asking more, and it was worth the risk of seeming intrusive.

"Ninsun, when I entered this room you said you had been looking forward to meeting me. I can't therefore help wondering why you didn't attend our wedding. You would have been very welcome on the occasion."

Since it had been only a contractual marriage, maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, but, even if for herself it had been nothing more than a condition to fulfil in order to obtain the money for her sister's care, for Ninsun it was still her son's wedding. Why had she not been present?

Her completely composed reply, however, wrong-footed her.

"Well, my dear, you see… anywhere I go, I steal the show. And your wedding was your and Gil's moment to shine."

All Arturia could think was that no, humbleness definitely wasn't a trait of the Uruk family. But Ninsun was not finished.

"Besides, Ria, forgive me if my point of view offends you, but a wedding is nothing particularly special. It's a public ceremony, and that's all. The life that comes afterwards, the time – and the years – you actually spend with your partner are what matter. And they are what will determine the success or failure of the marriage."

She smiled and slowly stirred her own tea. "Gil did call me to tell me that he was getting married, you know, because otherwise I wouldn't have given him the necklace you received for the wedding." Arturia knew that she was talking about the family heirloom Gilgamesh had given her to wear for the reception. "He also told me about the fact that many very unpleasant people were going to be present at the ceremony, and clearly discouraged me from attending. In fact, if I recall correctly, his exact words were that the amount of social climbers present would make me feel ill on sight."

She brought the cup to her lips, putting it back on the small plate after taking a sip. "But there are other, slightly more complicated reasons. You see, Ria, I am the mother of those two boisterous but brilliant men, Gil and Enki, and while being their mother is something that makes me very proud, I am not just that."

She made a wide gesture with her arm, still managing to be elegant, and that was when Arturia noticed the three large suitcases with showy brands on them, discreetly put in one side of the room.

The woman's tone hardened in an almost unnoticeable manner, but not in a way that Arturia would miss.

"Being a mother is not all that I am, and I refuse to be confined to that role only. But until a few years ago, the public was much harsher and sexist about the place of women in society, and I found myself with a choice to make: I could have a career, or I could be a mother. I was not allowed to do, or be, both." A strange light flashed through her eyes. "Therefore, I made my choice. I decided that, in the eyes of the public, I would no longer be a mother."

Arturia did not interrupt her during the very short pause that followed.

"I changed my surname back to the one I had before my marriage, and now I have my own business company, the Rimat fashion line. This is because I will not have my children's business name associated to mine, even though we are actually business partners."

Arturia was beginning to understand what she truly meant, and many things she had been pondering over were now being explained.

Gilgamesh's mother was a clothes designer, which meant that he had most likely been introduced to fashion through her. It was also no wonder that Gilgamesh had used the past tense when, on their first shopping spree, he had mentioned that his mother 'was' a fashion expert: in the eyes of the public, his mother and her capabilities were indeed gone. And back then… back then her husband had still needed to be careful around her, not knowing how much information about his world he could entrust to her.

The younger blonde woman was finally realizing what the reticence had been about, but she let her mother-in-law finish nonetheless.

"In the eyes of the public, there is no association between Gil, Enki and me, aside from the purely financial side of it. That is also one of the reasons why, even if I had wanted to, I would not have been able to be at your very public wedding… or rather, I could have attended, but not as Gil's mother."

Ninsun's features softened at seeing the mixed feelings that Arturia's expressive face wasn't able to conceal.

"I know that this must sound very strange to you and perhaps even give you a heartless impression of me. It's unfortunately part of the deal when the vast public is taken into consideration – and I'm sure you know about it as well."

Arturia almost went rigid at those words, but controlled herself in time. Gilgamesh had assured her that his mother did not know about the contract.

As if she had said nothing strange, Ninsun continued, "However, all this doesn't mean that I am estranged from my children. Their lives are their own, and I would abhor playing the part of the fretting mother in them, but I will always be here for them, should they need me. I'm very glad that they willingly share many important things about their lives with me, and they call me often."

Her smile widened at Arturia, and she inclined her head towards her a little. "Gil called me right before publicly announcing his engagement to you, and I was the first person Enki told about his girlfriend – after Gil, of course."

Having a lot to absorb from the long explanation, Arturia needed a second more to focus on a specific piece of news in it.

"Enkidu's… girlfriend?"

Ninsun's eyes met hers, and the ghost of a smile passed over both their faces.

"I take it that you didn't know yet," the older woman inquired.

Arturia's green eyes were twinkling with a small amount of mirth.

"I wouldn't presume to ask you more about the subject. But I do have a few things for which Enkidu has to pay me back, and while I would never intentionally harm him, some teasing would benefit him, I believe."

Ninsun smirked widely.

"I won't divulge my son's private life, but there is nothing wrong in giving you some generic information…"

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