Upon ra''s own suggestion, Gs had brought her straight back to Keen Manor after the tournament had ended. She didn''t know what came over her, but she felt like it needed to happen to make sure that Gs wouldn''t make any rash move against Pinra. She wanted to watch him closely, and she wanted to show Nasser that she would keep her word with Gs just so the old man wouldn''t be suspicious of him.


    "Thank you for apanying me here, Gs," ra thanked Gs as they reached the manor. "I know it''s a sudden request, but it just felt… right for some reason."


    "There''s no need to thank me, ra. I would''vee with you even if you didn''t tell me," Gs nodded to her in acknowledgment. "Besides, I''m sure Mother would appreciate yourpany, especially in these trying times."


    ra inwardly took a breath at Gs''sst statement. If she inferred things right, it would mean that things were getting tense within the manor itself, which meant that Nasser was probably throwing a fit or something and was throwing all of his frustrations out on his family.


    And just like that, she felt bad for the man currently escorting her inside the manor, and especially towards his. She could only imagine the kind of nasty and cruel things Nasser would do to them. Sure, Gs doesn''t seem like he''d even be affected by physical abuse, but what of his Mother? Lady Sh looked like someone who couldn''t hurt a fly and even talking to her already clued her in that she was just taking things as they came to her in an attempt to shield her son from her husband.


    "Ah, Son, ra, wee home."


    As usual, ra bore her warmest smile as she was once more face-to-face with Lady Sh. It was all she could do to try and show a bit of normalcy to this forsaken ce, and she didn''t even know if Nasser was already on the premises.


    "Would you two like some food? I''ve cooked a bit of dinner for us all," Lady Sh offered. "My husband''s also present. In fact, why don''t we have a family dinner?"


    ra inwardly cringed at the pained offering from the woman. Beside him, she could feel Gs trembling at the prospect of facing Nasser, something that really shouldn''t be happening to anyone that had a good heart like him.


    At that moment, she knew exactly what she had to do.


    "That sounds lovely," ra nodded, taking the offer to the chin as she put on her diplomatic smile. "It would let me get to know the family I''ll be a part of in the future."


    "ra?"


    "Wonderful," Lady Sh smiled, cutting Gs off from his apparent confusion. "Feel free to go to the dining room then. I''m sure my husband''s already there waiting."


    ra held her breath as she watched Lady Sh retreat into the kitchens. Beside her, Gs grabbed her by the shoulder as he pointedly looked at her.


    "Why did you ept?" he asked. "You could''ve left and avoided the inevitable disaster of my family having dinner together."


    "It''s bound to happen anyway. Besides, I''m here to assure Nasser that I won''t bail on my word," ra nonchntly replied. "Also, I don''t want to leave you alone to suffer. It''s just one dinner. And I''ve already had dinner with your family once, right?"


    "Actually-"


    "And even if I haven''t, what''s a few hours of practicing my diplomacy skills?" ra cut him off before he could even mount a protest. "I''ve already epted you, so if you''re dealing with this, then I''ll deal with it as well."


    It was the least she could do, she felt. It was also a way for her to truly get over her feelings from earlier. She might''ve gotten over her feelings for Darius, but the feeling of losing was another thing entirely.<novelnext>  </novelnext>


    [Again with your excuses,] Sheba teased. [When will you be honest with yourself?]


    [As soon as I''ve gotten my feelings together,] ra quipped. [Now keep quiet and let me do my thing.]


    Thankfully, her wolf didn''t bother her again as she made her way to the dining room with Gs. Taking a seat next to him, she found herself once more in front of the cause of all their problems. Nasser looked… neutral, she supposed. Clearly not pleased, but also not miffed or furious as well.


    "Good evening," ra greeted as she exchanged pleasantries. "Thank you for inviting me for dinner."


    "Again, you''re already family, ra," Lady Sh smiled at her. "It''s the least we can do for you."


    "Indeed," Nasser chimed in with a terse tone. "You''ve graced us with your presence, so surely you have something in mind."


    ra inwardly grimaced. "Straight to the point, I see. Very well. I''m here to ask if I could be the one to apany Lady Sh to the arena tomorrow."


    Nasser raised an eyebrow at her request. "Sh, do you want to go to the arena tomorrow?"


    "Oh? I''d love that, Husband," Lady Sh beamed. "I''ve been wanting to see thepetition in person for a while now."


    "Very well then. But why you, ra?" Nasser quickly asked. "On what grounds?"


    "Is it unnatural for me to want to get closer to my future mother-inw?" ra diplomatically replied. "Seeing as I''m no longer a part of thepetition, I''ve elected to use my free time to get to know my future family."


    "So you''re really sticking with my son then," Nasser lightly scoffed. "Do you object to this, Son?"


    "Not at all," Gs remarked, his tone telling ra that he was ying along despite his own feelings on the matter. She hadn''t told him this part of the n, after all. "I fully support her decision."


    Nasser blinked at the current state of the discussion, and ra waited with bated breath as her grip on her eating utensils tightened. She couldn''t let Gs be the one to apany his own mother. Not if they wanted their actions to remain hidden from the man in front of them.


    "Very well. I''ll allow it."


    ra inwardly cheered as she heard Nasser''s words. It would seem that her efforts had paid off. Even if she wasn''t the one chosen by Darius, she''ll at least still be of use to him this way.


    Perhaps… This could be her parting gift to the love that she had lost… And her starting gift for the one that could potentially mend her heart…