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Selina froze. The smile vanished, her emerald eyes widened, and for the first time I saw on her face not arrogant superiority, but pure bewilderment. She blinked. Once, then again. For a second it seemed like her brain simply refused to put two pictures together: the flawless aristocrat sitting in a perfect pose, and my words.
— Wait… — she breathed out, and in her voice slipped that exact tone of Rachel from the old world, as if the elven pretentiousness had been stripped away. — You mean… that was… a dude?
Silence slammed into the hall louder than a bell. Even the torches seemed to burn lower for a moment.
And then the room was shattered by loud, rolling, viciously genuine laughter. Selina—Rachel—burst out laughing, pressing her hand to her lips to keep it from echoing too wildly, but the sound still rolled under the beams of the ceiling.
— Ha-ha-ha! You’ve got to be kidding me?! — she gasped through laughter, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. — This is the best gift I could’ve ever gotten! Loser David, who always stuck up for Michael like a puppy trailing after its owner… now sitting here in a dress, in a corset, playing the lady? This is… this is a masterpiece!
Elianora didn’t move. She stood straight like a statue, chin slightly raised, gaze cold and lifeless. Only I, knowing David, saw the twitch in her neck. Kaiden inclined his head, and in his eyes there was neither surprise nor mockery. He spoke softly, almost in a whisper, but so clearly that every person in the hall heard him:
— The paths of the Almighty are beyond comprehension. He places upon us the roles we are meant to play, and it is not for us to complain that those roles seem humiliating. Even the fallen can be chosen. Even disgrace can be a blessing.
And then Elianora broke.
— Sam, don’t you dare get involved right now! — she snapped.
— Yes-yes, don’t interfere when ladies are discussing their… delicate matters, — Selina cut her off, silver ringing in her venomous mockery.
— Enough! — The voice of Master Caldwell, booming as if from the heavens themselves, suddenly struck sharp, like in the old days, making everyone fall silent and turn toward him. Even Selina flinched and bit her lip, like a little girl caught in mischief. Her smile slipped away, her eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn’t dare protest.
Caldwell stood tall, his silhouette seeming to double in size in the glow of the torches. He braced both hands on the table, and his heavy voice crashed down on us like a great bell calling to judgment:
— Enough games! — his eyes flashed. — I made a vow to protect you, and I will not allow you to tear each other apart over grudges from the past.
Caldwell straightened and gestured to the massive oak table. The heavy silence pressed against our ears as we sat down. I was first, the goblet of wine before me trembling faintly in the torchlight. Elianora sat without a sound, her dress whispering softly against the stone floor. Selina sank into her chair as though settling onto a throne, chin tilted high. Kaiden settled calmly, hands folded on his knees, his face perfectly serene, as though all those quarrels were nothing but wind before the storm.