"Where did you go?!"
The moment Kilian saw Annan, his face twisted into a snarl that was the spitting image of Grand Lord Raymond's.
Black Widow remembered something amusing.
If Annan, who responded to kindness but not threats, had been here, he would probably have said coldly, "First, I'm not your prisoner. Second, I'm your father's guest. You have no right to speak to me like that. Third, apologize."
Smiling, Black Widow said, "I should be asking you that."
"You were so engrossed in those valuables that you wandered off on your own. I went to look around elsewhere."
Black Widow caught a fleeting look of unease on Kilian's face. He seemed unwilling to dwell on the subject.
"Does this place bring back memories?"
"It's getting late. We should head back." He changed the subject abruptly and turned to leave.
"Not yet. I still have something to do."
Black Widow said to Kilian, who had stopped, "My mistress should be about done. I'm going to pick her up."
"Annan, may I call you that?"
"Suit yourself."
The Annan Black Widow played was a little more easygoing. That was how she remembered him—not quite accurately, but fortunately, Kilian knew him even less well.
"I think you're very honest. I've met too many false nobles. They think one thing and say another."
Kilian kept talking, like a cat scratching dirt over its droppings, using a flood of words to cover up his earlier mistake.
That made Black Widow curious.
"That's normal. Learning to hide your intentions behind lies means you've grown up. Only children are truly innocent, with colors at their brightest..."
Black Widow quietly worked a little Guidance Spell into her words, leading Kilian to follow her train of thought without realizing it.
"Yes... We gained everything we longed for as