Kire ignored the looks Risa threw their way, especially at Ysaryn. “If tomorrow evening would be convenient for you, Your Grace, I would greatly appreciate that,” she replied with a warm smile. “I am grateful for the opportunity.” She waited to see if the princess would be amenable to that, then, once agreed upon and dismissed, bowed her head politely again and turned to leave with Ysaryn. 
“That wasn’t so bad—but perhaps because it was so brief,” Kire commented with a grin. “Alright, I’m heading back over to see if Daryll had found anything and come back for lunch to fetch the sorcerers.” She wrinkled her nose at that, remembering her joke about calling Ruli the High Sorcerer. “I’ll leave you with my other cousin. Enjoy.” 

Downstairs at the Tower, she was greeted by a sleepless Daryll—his clothes and hair more disheveled than usual, his eyes tired, and three mugs of coffee in front of him. But the moment he saw her, he perked up, a serious look on his face as he shoved a manuscript at her. “Er—what am I looking at?” she asked, holding the large tome in her arms. 
Daryll flipped a page and jabbed his finger down the middle. “The old noble families of the Wild Meadows. Look at the coat of arms. Three down after Narda’s family.” 

Under his finger was a coat of arms that had a green field with blue stripes. In the middle of it were two roses: one white, one red. Kire frowned at it. “The noble house of Glenn,” she said, looking up at him. “What about them?”
“The roses, Kire.”
She looked down at the coat of arms again, then her eyes widened. She looked sharply at him. “Are these the ones you saw on the woman?”
Daryll nodded. “I know it’s weird but—those roses were vivid in my memory. That’s them.”

Kire scanned the book again. “This is an old list. We haven’t heard from their House in ages. Didn’t they run out of heirs at some point? They weren’t a big family, and I don’t remember them being associated with magic at all. But still. It might be worth a look. We can ask Narda. By the way, Ruli, Gavin, and possibly Envy will be over here by lunchtime, we can discuss that with them.” 


Come lunchtime, both Kire and Narda crossed over the gate, the two of them still in conversation about what happened in the forest and Daryll’s slim lead. “Are you sure Envy will be coming along?” the giantess asked.
Kire grinned. “We’ll know in a bit, Nard. Sit tight.”