“Father may as well have,” Aclysia disagreed immediately. “My Karitas is one to take words seriously, he is a good man. It is part of what makes him worthy of my love.”

“What about you, hm? Would you ignore your father’s wishes so flagrantly and just run into the arms of a man you fancy against his recommendations?” Sybille poked Aclysia’s nose. “Come on, Sia, you know that’s not true.”

Aclysia took a deep breath and tried to wrestle down her anger. She failed to diminish it and yet succeeded in putting a blanket of control on top. “This only furthers my point. Neither I nor Karitas would be comfortable with consummating our relationship without the approval of father.”

“At least you retain a minimum of respect,” Derilea weighed in. “Be thankful that your oddity of a chosen Master is accepted at all.”

Aclysia outright growled at her mother. She could have never imagined doing so, but there she was. Derilea in return only appeared upset, not surprised. Her elegantly swung eyebrows pulled together. “You will not deride the good name of my Karitas, mother.”

“I will-“

“Deri, please,” Sybille interrupted again. “Every time. You know how this ends every single time when you argue with your daughters. Can we not buy new chairs this once?”

“A couple of replaced chairs are a minor sacrifice compared to insubordination,” Derilea hissed.

“Mom, why’re they fightin’?” the babbled words of the three-year-old cut into the tense and amused mood of the room.

“Love, honey, they’re fighting because of love,” Velma responded. “Maybe you’ll understand when you’re older.”

Aclysia and her mother stared at each other and simultaneously directed their eyes at their laps. For nearly half a minute, Aclysia did nothing but watch her fingers, as she went through various unproductive gestures. “I’ve been dreaming of a man worthy of serving for so long.”

“We know, Sia,” Sybille assured her. “Very serve-happy genes you have.”

“You have followed the path of your sisters,” Aurora weighed in, her voice slow and elegant, almost songlike. It was as elegant as her icey appearance. “You are blessed that you found him so soon, yet cursed that this may lead to him falling short of Arustius’ expectations – for the time being.”

“It’s not a good or a bad thing, that you’re the way you are,” Anna, the minotaur woman, joined and scratched the back of her head. “We’ve simply experienced the drawbacks of your obsession before.”

“It is good to be committed to one’s Master, my darling daughter,” Derilea spoke, with a soft tone this time. “Entirely appropriate to make sure annoyances around him are dealt with…” Foreheads wrinkled and anolias sighed. Aclysia ignored all of that and listened to the wise words of her mother. “…any of our daughters are protected by our concerns. With you and your sisters, we must take particular care. Nothing would hurt me more than knowing that the depth of your servitude is wasted on one who nearly feigns the part of the worthy Master. I trust your judgement, Aclysia, but can you allow your father to verify?”

Aclysia turned her gaze back to her father, the anger in her heart finally calmed. “…honoured father, I kindly request that you inform me of your intentions?”

Arustius pushed the empty bowl of soup away from him and folded his hands. “Your mother said all I could say,” he informed her.

“I wish to hear it from you,” Aclysia requested and pouted. She could see the will of her father crumble away immediately. At a young age, she had learned that there was a particular look that she could give that would make him give her anything she desired. Seldomly, she had used it, content as she was. The knowledge remained.

Taurus shifted around uncomfortably. A mountain of a man, capable of breaking most gods over his knee, brought to his figurative knees by a pair of green eyes and a slightly pushed forwards lower lip. “Karitas is a worthwhile young man.” These words alone made Aclysia smile. “I sense potential in him – and laziness. A man like him… men like us work the hardest when we want to impress a woman we care about.”

Aclysia exhaled slowly and reached for the spoon. “I thank you for your explanation, father,” she said and resumed her meal. After she had been handed a new spoon.

“Do you truly love this Karitas enough to call him your Master already?” Derilea asked softly.

Nodding, the maid took a sip. Even lukewarm the soup was delicious. “At times he babbles or speaks with little sense. You speak true that he is lazy at times, but he is animated at others. He knows much and shares with no condescension. Most importantly, when he observes me, I know that all I could do, he would react to. He would catch me if I stumbled, wipe away my tears before the first one has fallen, and embrace me when I desire his warmth.” Aclysia smiled, showing her pearly white teeth. “Is it not natural to fall completely to desire such a man to be my Master? He can care for himself and that makes caring for him all the more rewarding.”

“Truly, you are my daughter,” Derilea said approvingly.