Chapter 27 Winter Homecoming 58 +20 Free Coins When she had first reincarnated , she had studied that scandalous volume closely , even scribbling personal annotations in the margins . If anyone else discovered it , she would die of humiliation , and Soren would surely tease her without mercy . Still , Fiona dismissed the worry . The vault was heavily guarded , and the estate's storerooms were labyrinthine . The booklet was probably buried beneath piles of ledgers and silks , far from prying eyes . Winter loomed . Fiona wished to pay respects at the Luthor Estate , but etiquette demanded she wait until the festival passed . Meanwhile , news arrived that Rita - second daughter of the Niven family , long since married - had returned to her childhood home . For most wives , visiting one's parents required layers of permission , yet Rita had married well . Her groom , Elijah Wagner , was kin to Joanna by blood , a union so doubly bound that the Wagner family elders indulged her every whim . Rita herself was striking - a winter plum that bloomed against frost , proud and solitary . Comfortable days had softened the angles of her face , adding a gentle fullness , but her poise had only deepened , like wine left to breathe . Elijah , her husband , was not a handsome legend , yet he carried his broad shoulders with understated confidence . Firstborn of the Wagner line , he moved the way a mountain moves- slow , but impossible to overlook . Elijah allowed himself a single , curious glance at Fiona . Years ago , his family had imagined Fiona , not Rita , might be his bride . Only after Soren rejected Rita did the match tilt in his favor . At that moment , seeing Fiona grown , he blinked - struck by how fiercely beauty could sharpen in a few short seasons . Rita caught the deviation in his gaze and angled her head , the silent warning crackling like ice beneath thin snow , Elijah cleared his throat , clasped his fists , and uttered with soldierly formality , " Grandmother , Mother , the night watch awaits me at the garrison . I beg your leave ." Joanna rose to accompany him , but Rita's hand landed gently on her sleeve . " Mother , let him find his own way home . The streets remember his footsteps ." Before departing , Elijah turned back to Rita . " I will return in two days to bring you home . Do not miss me too much . " 1/3 14:42 Fri , Oct 10 Chapter 27 Winter Homecoming 58 +20 Free Coins Their affection was so effortless that even a two - day parting felt like an epic voyage , cach goodbye stretched thin and bright as spun sugar . Hannah and Joanna exchanged approving looks . A man whose heart nestled firmly with his wife had no room left for straying , and Elijah's every gesture screamed devotion . Having greeted the elders , Rita spent the evening trading soft reminiscences with them . Only the following morning did Rita send a maid to invite Fiona for a private conversation . The main branch's courtyard bustled with an uncommon liveliness that morning . Even Lilith appeared , but after offering a perfunctory curtsey , she was tactfully ushered away . " Rita , " Fiona greeted , stepping beneath the painted trellis . " I heard about Duchess Zonfrillo's meeting with Grandmother . Cast it from your mind , " Rita said , smile serene . " Years ago , Lord Soren confided in me that he loved Ms. Roxanne and would marry no other . Beauty in any other form means nothing to him . So whatever gossip fluttered through the corridors harms you not at all ." Soren never actually said those words to me , Rita admitted inwardly . He ignored me entirely that day . I can concede defeat to Roxanne or any stranger , but I refuse - utterly - to be eclipsed by Fiona . " I assure you , I was never troubled , " Fiona replied , her voice light as falling ash . Rita did not believe her . Pride , she thought , made Fiona claim indifference , just as pride had forced her to act as though Soren's indifference were a splinter she had already plucked free . Women possessed a hunger for conquest , no less fierce for being unspoken . Every woman would thrill at the sight of a powerful man brought to his knees for her sake . Yet more often than not , the hunter became the hunted , ensnared by her own trap . " Grandmother hoped that your victory in archery would make the Zonfrillo family sit up and finally notice you ," Rita murmured , her breath leaving in a slow , discouraged sigh . " But things have taken a turn I never expected ." Fiona said nothing . What rankled her most about Rita was that she sometimes wore her superiority like a velvet cloak - soft to the touch , but heavy all the same . Whenever others stumbled , Rita's mood brightened ; behind the polite sympathy lurked a quiet satisfaction that no compliment could fully conceal . They were born to be allies , yet in moments like that , the distance between them felt as wide as the garden lake . " What has Aunt Meryl been busy with these past days ? " Rita asked , steering the talk toward 2/3 14:42 Fri , Oct 10 Chapter 27 Winter Homecoming ༩ 58 +20 Free Coins business at last . Fiona's guard flicked on . Ordinarily , Rita avoided mentioning Meryl just as she avoided speaking of Joanna ; if she raised the subject then , something must be afoot . Perhaps , Fiona guessed , it had to do with the task Hannah had mentioned - helping Joanna oversee the Niven family's accounts . " She is preoccupied with supervising my studies , " Fiona replied , a statement as true as it was conveniently deflective . Examinations loomed after the New Year . At that moment , Fiona's schooling mattered more than anything else , so Rita let the subject drop . Later that afternoon , Rita walked the winding path to Lily Garden herself , a lacquered box of that year's Earl Grey tea cradled in both hands . " I know you lack for nothing when it comes to fine leaves , Aunt Meryl , " she said with a smile , presenting the gift . " Still , I came into a fresh supply and could not resist bringing you a share . " " The very fact that you thought of me is pleasure enough ," Meryl answered , her laughter light as the steam curling from a nearby kettle . Rita politely explained her real purpose , and that was the matter of the household accounts . Meryl did not shut the door entirely , yet regret colored her tone . " Before the year's end , my mind will be elsewhere , " Meryl said , leaving the possibility hovering like an unfinished note . " Of course , your first concern should be Fiona , " Rita agreed warmly . " If assistance can wait until next year , so be it . My mother is too embarrassed to trouble you herself . I cannot bear to see her worry about the estate day after day , so I came on her behalf , " she continued after a beat . The truth , Rita knew , was that embarrassment had never stopped Joanna from pursuing profit ; the household ledgers were lucrative , and over the years , she had skimmed more than a little cream . Gaining control of those ledgers meant influence , power , and a steady trickle of silver - no wonder Joanna clung to them . 3/3