Chapter 584: Chapter 584 - Honesty, To Be Rebuilt At The Front; Courage, To Hide... Behind Children’s Backs!

"Well, there is one other matter I still wished to raise while you are here. The main gate."

"Mhm. I had wondered if we would get to that or if my Qat had already made promises in my stead."

"I wouldn’t make any that needed to be discussed with you."

One of Elua’s hands found their way up into that very loyal woman’s hair, working a slow twist into and out of it quite like how Onya used to pull and tug on it as an infant. However, that action did not need her to stare at what she was doing, merely to enjoy the tactile nature of its texture, so her attention remained quite ’politely’ on Navuill all the while. Even as the small, idle motion reminded the raven-haired man just how settled into their personal world she could become.

"So? What of it?"

"At this time, I do not intend to reconstruct it as it was. Both because the resources spent on that scale of artifact are unjustified given the family’s current restructuring priorities... and because, frankly, the impressiveness of it only ever shielded the reality lurking behind it."

Closed rooms, hidden meetings, all claimed for the benefit of the family. To him it had long seemed like a case of what the others didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them. Which was itself a big tell that things were not alright in the Yecine. As a specific example, had remained tight-lipped about his cousin’s gender first out of fear of that conspiring faction’s reprisal on top of the person herself seeming to want it kept secret. Yet, Navuill - as a nosy Empath - had never been comfortable with that lack of transparency with the other blood-related members.

"Yet, we do *need* a gate of some kind. If only because the staffing reduction of guards currently standing there, as if they were wall sections themselves... will alone free up those people for more meaningful work positions."

"Men. Those men. Lets not ignore that fact as we discuss matters of what needs repaired, shall we?"

He watched, while being rebuked by Elua, as Qatrand reached up and kept her small sister-in-law from falling backward off of the heiress when she tried to pull one leg around to climb down using her elbows. Part of him felt like he deserved some sort of reward for keeping a straight face, while having this kind of conversation, with their ongoing antics. That part was going to ask for one from his wife, soon - and she would of course let him lie down on her lap and stroke the back of his head like he usually wanted. Ever since she suggested they attempt it once and he became inexplicably hooked.

"I’ll keep my wording in mind. You should keep something in mind too, please."

"What is that, Nav?"

"...That, while I am my own person, with my own reasons for doing anything... it is Qatrand’s hope for what the Yecine could be if they are guided correctly, voiced long ago, that ultimately pushed me into the agreement I had with my position in this plan which Lirades had been working so hard on."

The swordsman with a full pre-dawn morning of *waiting* to fight, fighting an opponent that should have outclassed him, reunion with his wife, meeting his children, and finally this conversation with his cousin and her wife... had left him with just about enough of remaining too polite, after letting his feelings loose a number of times already. Besides, he knew that as far as ’defenses’ went, both of them were more than capable of shielding against something like an Empath’s Intent broadcasted out without reserve.

Especially if it made his words more believable. Which it did, to both cultivators who prized their spirit.

"I do not mind if you insist on holding me to her standard, considering everything. It’s a hard one to live up to, but one worth approaching with sincerity. But I would hope you remember that *she* had been willing to put in the time and effort to set things into place properly. I am *not* going to let the women of our family be placed into harms way, immediately after taking over, just to satisfy a token sense of equality."

"He is right. If they want to be trained as guards, they can go through the same training first. I would have made them do that."

Qat replied earnestly while helping Onya arrange herself into a different cuddle-structure. The young girl knew they were talking about important things, but honestly didn’t care that much... especially when her sister just hugged her back and sat her pouting cheek on top of Onya’s head.

"I wasn’t saying he should stuff untrained fighters where they could get hurt. I was just trying to broaden the point. These other ’meaningful jobs’ might also be taken care of by bored and neglected wives or daughters. When it comes to *freeing up* people, there is still quite a lot to be done within the entirety of the Yecine family holdings."

"Regardless of that, which is a matter that the eldest woman of our family already has thoughts on, we were speaking about your destruction of our main gate."

"I’m not sorry."

"El."

"I’m... I’m... sorry. That’s really not fair..."

"Don’t bully her!"

A strong little finger found its way into the blonde’s cheek, not having felt the exact spiritual interaction between them but *knowing* that something must have happened. Navuill was once again left perturbed by this meeting of serious matters juxtaposed against Goltbred style family. Including the fact that Ondua had returned home and been standing outside the sitting room door listening in for a good four minutes or so without announcing himself.

’It is so very hard to maintain a warrior’s edge here. It feels like being a blade realizing you have been within a scabbard all along.’

"A simpler structure... one still possessing the sigils for warding against Voidlings, will be sufficient. That is what I will propose to the council. And likely what I will act upon no matter what they say, if there is pushback."

"That seems very reasonable. You may also find that the more honest and humble your family’s frontage looks, the less the rest of the continent will assume you have something to hide behind its grandeur. Especially after the series of incidents that have occurred."

While it was true that a lot of the Goltbred estate was slightly more rustic and open, they also weren’t exactly incredibly shy with their affluence either. He remembered seeing literal gemstones in the guest room flooring... even if they were not extremely expensive ones! But he chose not to comment about anything of that sort and just move the conversation along.

...He found that he was doing a lot of that today...

"That is also my hope. I won’t say that every one of our traditions needs to be visible, just as I won’t ever say that all of them need changed. But our name is in the mud now and we must compromise with living in it until we find more solid ground. Instead of pretending our suits are spotless after the swamp we just trudged through."

Elua found herself enjoying the poetic flavor of his agreement. Not because the new Patriarch was of a mind with *her*... for anyone could simply nod along until you were out of view. It was because he had clearly arrived at the assessment from his own direction as an insider. Also, because he seemed to have become a lot more eloquent in the absence of his wife than he had heard tell of.

’I wonder if he started reading poetry to fill his longing these months? Oh, I hope he did not write any. I hope that... because I would love for Rezzue to be bombarded with such a side of him. Until she blathers at me about it for hours with that lovestruck look she gets about him and I lose my *entire* sense of caring about either of them...’

"On the matter of its construction, I have an idea. One that might pay homage to what happened while showing that your family can be a bit less... spendthrift. As well as more sentimental."

"I have a feeling I am not going to like this that much, but please continue."

"Collect all of the wooden fragments of the old gate and have a competent Wood Element cultivator compress and reconnect them back together."

"Nothing about that sounds inexpensive. Not from what I know of the rates that the Earthen Fellowship charge."

"Father. You know of someone unaffiliated with them with a good work ethic and an eager desire for practice, do you not?"

Calling out the brown haired man, who felt like he had lost his moment to simply enter the room himself and was thinking of going to get Yatrel to enter along with him instead... Elua smirked. Her voice had made him stare up at the hallway ceiling with a bitter feeling in his heart. Turning around and pushing open the door showed, through his clothing, that he had indeed rushed straight back from the Ironclad Order.

A place replete with rumors of new leadership in the Yecine, with a name floating around that happened to be the husband of the guests currently in his very own home. But he missed a lot of the important talk so far between the relevant parties, only to be reminded of one of the ’irrelevant, ungrown men’ hovering around his second daughter’s life. And his face showed off his mild displeasure about that.

"You mean *that* young boy, don’t you?"

"Oh, Gehxel? Yeah, he would probably like doing something that boring. Just pay him well, because he’s too stubborn to ask for what he’s worth."

Everyone in the room reacted in their own confused little ways to Onya’s sudden, loud comment. While she wasn’t often shy - and did like doing pranks for an individual’s attention... she also wasn’t exactly an attention seeker when it came to *crowds*. Their pointed looks caused her to press into Elua more as she fiddled with her dress skirt, with the still bound hands.

"...Er... that’s what mom said? The last part. I overheard it..."

"I suppose it is. He did the panels for the new flooring in our guest wing. When you get back to your wife when you are all done talking here, you can give them a closer look and decide if you think he is capable. Then I can send a letter out to see if he would be interested."

"While I should at least attempt to talk it over with the council first, I would appreciate your help in forming the connection. Thank you, Ondua."

"You should consider it seriously. I’ve seen a few of the other little pieces dotting the estate too. His technique is rough at some of the internal parts but extremely promising... as young as he is, his time is certain to be a commodity when his work becomes well known."

The reincarnator had found a thin board with a practiced geometric pattern left in her room, with a note, while killing time this morning. The boy seemed at least a little bit interested in sigilry judging by the content of the words in the letter... and he somehow knew she was the one responsible for the micro-sigil brooches despite the minimal number of people who knew the truth. But more than that, he seemed quite personally driven - to dare to sneak in something like that to her room.

’A recreated ancient spiritualism diagram obtained from whatever black market connection his family has. In order to build some sort of rapport with me, as if we are to be peers who operate on the same margins of polite society. Really, I would love to have a good talk with him as he fixes that gate.’ 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

She wasn’t against someone of talent, ambition, and minimal morals being friends with her sister. However, it did mean he was a little cultivator that needed watched a little closely. Perhaps put a bit in his place.

"In fact you may even be doing him a favor by allowing him to perform such a high profile task. Well, or hurting his chances for fame because he openly assisted those still living in infamy..."

"El..."

"Ugh. If you say my name like that again I’m going to start charging kisses for being obedient!"

"You would just be more disobedient so that I’d have to promise more kisses."

"Pfft! Don’t say factual things like that just to-"

"Excuse me, girls? I know I’m the one interrupting the room, since I should rightly still be at work, but would it be too much to ask *why* Onya’s hands are bound?"

He knew the punishment was his own wife’s doing - and the reason why he knew she had perfected such soft, gentle, but heavy restraints *well* before they had a second daughter... was beside the point and a matter of privacy. However, he wasn’t sure he could approve of just flaunting such things in front of guests. No matter whether anyone would believe a claim of a Yecine versus a Goltbred at this point.

"I would actually like to know too. It’s been bugging me since you first entered the room. Did you do something bad?"

"Yes..." / ""No.""

Three people answered at once. The girl who knew that not listening to her mother in the first place was wrong... and the two women holding onto her, who knew something else. That the Dame Goltbred would not have let her off with just binding and walking away as long as there were good speeches about how to properly behave to deliver.

"It seems like you have two rather soft protectors on your side. Come on, lets go see your mother and see what she has to say about the matter."

"Do we have to? This is comfortable..."

"Yes, little one. We have to."

While it sounded like he was being a good dad, and while he did carry her softly and let her down when she requested to walk... he just wanted something to take the sting out of the looks and talk he would get. For shirking work to come back home-

And not immediately going to see Yatrel first.