As my father surveyed the Grand Salon, I saw it through his eyes. Tittering females. Goofy costumes. Sweets. No business here. No power-brokering. Nothing to be gained for the Ootori name.

Brow lowered behind his severe glasses, he turned his gaze on me. I greeted him with a polite half-bow, but before I could say a word his palm cracked against my cheek. In his anger, he hadn't held back. The ferocity of the blow sent my glasses flying.

I'd been privy to such treatment on previous occasions, whenever I did something that in public might reflect poorly on our family. As a child it was difficult to restrain my curious nature. But I learned quickly what type of behavior and activities might incite Father's wrath. My naturally inquisitive and playful personality was suppressed, and I learned the appearance of restraint that I still wore most of the time.

But Tamaki freed that part of me that had been ready to explode at being confined by my father's mold.

So I had been living somewhat of a double life, keeping up appearances in public and with Father and his associates, but satisfying my curiosity and exploring my capabilities in avenues unknown to him. The host club was the one place those worlds collided. I couldn't hide it from him forever. And now he had walked in on me not just in the midst of frivolity, but with it being witnessed by Suou Yuzuru and several other prominent families. There would be no way to redeem this in Father's eyes

I bent stiffly to retrieve my glasses, conscious that the room had fallen silent. "This is the sort of ridiculous club you've been in?" Father growled, turning his back on me. "Are you trying to embarrass me?"

He stalked off and I let him go. Halfway to the door, the Superintendent stopped him to converse in low tones.

The hosts quickly gathered around me. Their concern was touching.

"Kyoya, are you okay?" Tamaki asked in earnest.

The twins and Honey expressed their dismay at the coldness of my father. Haruhi stopped in front of me, but my eyes remained downcast. "Did he hit you because you're in the host club?" She sounded surprised but also sad.

I didn't want her pity. I didn't want her to see me as weak. "It's all right," I told her, my tone resigned, uncaring. "I've been expecting it." I struck an unconcerned pose and left the room. I had to get away from all the spectators. And from her scrutiny.

As a result, I missed the drama that soon followed. A brisk walk in the cool air gave me time to regain my composure and stop by the cafes sponsored by some of the other clubs. By the time I returned to the Central Building Salon, Honey, Mori, and the Hitachiin brothers were back from supper break and lolled about on the couch next to the table where I'd left my laptop. Haruhi pushed her cart around, collecting used cups and teapots to return to the caterers.

Taking a seat, I set to work, only half-listening to their chatter. It was time to log the day's business and check on tomorrow's preparations.

"Tama-chan isn't coming back, huh?" Honey asked with regret.

"Is he seriously planning to escort that girl?" Kaoru asked. "For the whole rest of the Fair?" Hikaru added.

My ears pricked. "What girl?" I asked, turning halfway around in my chair. "What happened?"

"Tama-chan's evil grandmother came and made him promise to escort some French girl around for the whole Fair," Honey explained.

"And he agreed?"

"Well, she was pretty," Haruhi commented as she picked up a crumpled napkin from the floor. Jealous, Haruhi?

"He only agreed because his dad and grandmother pressured him into it," Kaoru stated.

"Besides, she wasn't all that pretty," Hikaru mumbled, sneaking a peek at Haruhi bending over the coffee table. Hmph.

"Who was that girl anyway?" she asked. "I started waiting on her but got interrupted by the…" She swallowed and looked uncomfortable. "…by the Superintendent."

The twins had their heads together, thinking. "Her name was Éclair or something dumb like that."

"I know that girl," Renge announced. "Éclair Tonnerre, the third daughter of the renowned French Tonnerre family. They're descended from royalty."

Tonnerre! I saw an unlikely coincidence here. "That's right, you grew up in the same French society circles, so you would know all about her family," I said to Renge. Including the entire group now, I asked, "But did you know that they are also the owners of Grand Tonnerre, the foreign-funded company that has been buying up businesses in our country right and left? The financial world has been in an uproar over them."

"Of course," I demurred, turning back to my laptop with a new purpose, "we don't know why exactly their daughter has come here to see Tamaki." I resisted the urge to glance at Haruhi. I didn't want to see her jealousy. I couldn't afford to be distracted right now. If my assumptions proved correct, I had very little time to protect my family.

Despite the ebb and flow of guests visiting the salon, Tamaki remained conspicuously absent throughout the evening. I wondered if he would be back once Grand Tonnerre realized their plan was foiled. But what part did Éclair play in all this? And how could Tamaki cast aside all of us—even Haruhi—seemingly without a thought?

"Haru-chan is so cute!" Honey cried. I couldn't help myself. I snuck a glance as she returned to the salon in her new outfit. The white tuxedo with tails was like a miniature version of ours. And of course the twins had made certain her tux shirt was pink. So, yeah, she looked like an adorable little doll.

With a sigh, I returned to my work. I still had to monitor the financial situation carefully to be certain of what was happening and how.

"Where did his Highness go?" one of the twins asked no one in particular. "He was so excited for today's events."

Haruhi joined the group. "Sempai was in the music room," she answered. "He was with Lady Éclair." I slanted another glance her way, but her face revealed no emotions. The other hosts teased her for acting jealous. To my stupid relief, she denied it.

Growing thoughtful she said, "Still, Tamaki-sempai is being a bit irresponsible this time. Normally we make excuses for his capriciousness, but this is just… " Her face scrunched in frustration.

But her eyes looked sad. He'd hurt her. Left her without a word.

I knew that, in that moment, she saw it—what I had seen that day at the mall. Tamaki had finally confirmed that niggling suspicion she'd harbored… that he was not a man she could trust unreservedly.

I was glad she now recognized the truth, so she could protect her heart. But I couldn't stand seeing her so unhappy. I offered her a lifeline. "Well, we should give him a pass this time. It was his grandmother who ordered him to do it, you know?"

Naturally Haruhi's mind would not rest until she understood the odd relationship between the two, and the twins finally spilled the secrets about Tamaki that I had been keeping from her. How his father had been pressured into a politically expedient marriage in order to produce heirs quickly. How he had never grown to love his wife, but instead fell for a Frenchwoman while away on business. How he wanted to leave his wife-in-name-only for his true love, but Tamaki's grandmother forbade it. How Tamaki grew up in France where he could take care of his sickly mother, apart from his father. When Tamaki's mother found herself on hard times, the evil grandmother—now even more concerned with the absence of any Suou heirs—suggested he come take his place with his father, promising that in return she would provide for his mother. He was only fourteen, but she insisted he become fully immersed in his father's world, to the extent of forbidding visits with his mother.

We had drifted over to sit on the rim of the fountain. I finished the sad tale. "Afterward, either out of sorrow or from guilt over having traded her son for money, his mother apparently moved away somewhere and went into hiding. No one knows where she is now." I looked over at Haruhi. Her compassionate gaze met mine. "He hasn't seen his mother once since he came here in middle school."

She hung her head, clasping and unclasping her hands anxiously. Once again I could read her thoughts easily. The spoiled rich kid wasn't as rich or spoiled as she'd thought.

I tried to ease her guilt. "It's easy to feel sorry for him, but I'm glad Tamaki is who he is now." I stood to go find the idiot. Haruhi turned her big brown eyes on me. I wanted to scoop her in my arms and make it all better. I settled for offering her some assurance. "He'll be fine. After all, despite what he's been through and his odd family situation," I met her gaze directly, "he has a family right here—in the host club members." The worried lines on her face relaxed and she offered a small smile, acknowledging our previous conversation on the topic. I felt my facial muscles relax as well.

Our moment of relief was interrupted by Tamaki himself. Pushing open the double doors to the salon, he entered soberly, a stunning young lady on his arm. I read trouble on his face and reflexively made my way to Haruhi's side.

"I have an important announcement for everyone," he said tonelessly. "I am engaged to Lady Éclair Tonnerre," he said without emotion. "And I'm shutting down the host club as soon as the Fair is over."