Ohhh...fuck.
I glance between Alto and the Silver couple repeatedly, slowly realizing that we're now sitting in the middle of some deeply personal family drama. Not one to fall short of my expectations, Alto narrows her eyes at Mr. Silver, her already cold voice acquiring a mocking edge that even I'm slightly taken aback by.
"You and your wife must be confused, Setti. There is no daughter of the Silver family, and there hasn't been for eighty years." (Alto)
Mr. Silver purses his lips, but before he can respond, Alara clears her throat nervously, rising from the couch.
"Ehem...this seems like a family matter, so we can postpone our business discussion for later. We'll excuse ourselves...Alyse." (Alara)
She casts an expectant look at Alyse, discomfort clear in her expression. Alyse gives the surrounding drama with a reluctant look before slowly rising from the couch with a sigh. Seeing their movements, Mr. Silver – or, Setti, I guess – widens his eyes slightly, as though in alarm.
"Ah, I apologize for the display, but there is no need-" (Setti)
"Thank you for your understanding, Lady Alara." (Mrs. Silver)
Mrs. Silver cuts her husband off sharply, though her tone towards Alara still conveys polite appreciation. Setti's expression once again flickers with irritation, but he doesn't respond immediately.
Alara and Alyse quietly make their way out the door, and Mrs. Silver's gaze moves to me, full of a silent, respectful request. Clearly, she's hoping I'll also take the hint and leave them to speak with Alto alone. However, I'd have to be an idiot at this point not to recognize that Alto is far from on good terms with her family. That the 'something wrong' she was referencing last night was in anticipation of this exact meeting, and that she's also concerned about the Silver family tearing her from her new life in some way.
So, while I'm inclined to politely exit at first, especially knowing full well that there's no way either of them could physically make Alto do anything, the realization that Alto's been dreading exactly this scenario holds me back. Yet, I also recall that Alto was rather insistent that this is something she wants to handle herself. After a moment of conflicted deliberation, I move to stand, preparing to send Alto a telepathic message that I'll be right outside the moment she needs me for anything.
However, before I can even rise from my seat, I feel Alto's hand grab mine, her grip shockingly tight. I throw a surprised glance at her, only to find her face set in a determined expression, eyes fixed on her mother.
"We can talk, but Mizuki stays." (Alto)
The room quickly falls silent, the tension thickening like fog. Mrs. Silver's eyes widen in surprise, then turn conflicted, while displeasure becomes apparent on Setti's face. As for me...Alto's request is all I need to hear.
I settle back into the couch without hesitation, most of my own apprehension ironically evaporating despite the strained atmosphere. After all, while neither of these people has been less than friendly to me, they're still strangers. People whose opinions and circumstances mean...well, nothing to me, if I'm being honest. Alto, on the other hand, I killed an Emperor for without batting an eye, and I know her personality. Her being this hostile, even if it's her own parents, says a lot. So, I'm not conflicted – this conversation is going however she wants it to go, period.
Seeing that I have no intention of leaving, Mrs. Silver's conflicted expression flickers with surprise, then acceptance, before the faintest glimmer of curiosity takes root. However, Setti's dissatisfied expression remains, subtle but undeniable. He speaks, his voice terse with forced politeness.
"Alto, if this discussion is to be had, it should be between family. With all due respect to Lord Mizuki, outsiders should not be present." (Setti)
Alto pulls my hand into her lap, drawing more surprised expression from her parents. Her eyes narrow at them, her voice becoming colder, thick with finality.
"As far as I'm concerned, Mizuki is my family, and you two are the outsiders." (Alto)
Mrs. Silver pales, and Setti's forced calm finally cracks, anger invading his expression and tone.
"Alto-" (Setti)
But apparently, Alto's not done, and I gravely underestimated just how much she dislikes her parents. Because she cuts him off, and her tone becomes threatening in a way that I've never heard her use with anyone. Ever. Not even me, on the first night we met, as she sat in a slave cell making all the worst assumptions about my intentions.
"No. To you, I am not 'Alto', not 'daughter', not 'Miss Silver'...we are not close, we are not family, we are not friends, we are not even amicable. So, when you address me, you will only ever call me Lady Alto...because that is how a commoner, like you, addresses somebody the Queen has decreed to be nobility, like me. Speak as if you know me again, dare to try and command me again, and I can also make sure you bear the full legal repercussions of disrespect towards someone above your station." (Alto)
Silence! Complete and utter silence descends on the room. So heavy, so profound, that a pin dropping would sound like gunfire.
Her mother simply sits there, color still drained from her face, and even I can't help but widen my eyes in shock, staring at Alto with my mouth slightly ajar. Meanwhile, Alto herself doesn't appear surprised at her words, or regretful, or even that angry. She just stares at Setti, her eyes cold enough to freeze the sun, her posture straight and her chin raised as though challenging him to defy her. In turn, Setti stares back, his dissatisfaction still evident underneath an expression of tenuous restraint, his eyes simmering with an anger even greater than before.
And yet, Setti does not speak immediately. He does not try to reprimand her again. He sits there, quietly, studying. Eventually, he releases a long, controlled breath.
Then, he turns to me, putting on the same polite smile that he first greeted Alara with. He speaks, his voice measured and respectful, completely ignoring Alto.
"Lord Mizuki, I'm terribly sorry to put you in the middle of such a dramatic affair. Our daughter has always had a bit of a rebellious nature, you see...unhappy with the pressures and responsibilities of being the Silver family heiress, despite the many privileges she happily reaped from it. Truth be told, when she was still a teenager, not even an adult by elven law, she ran away from home. No warning, no explanation, and no means to contact or locate her.
"For eighty years, her mother and I worried, we searched, all in vain, until we were forced to accept that she must have died tragically. She let us go on believing that, until she appeared at the last Royal Announcement. Given her prior...behavior, we didn't expect her to be here today – we truly only planned a business meeting, intending to reach out to her at a better time.
"However, now that this situation has come to pass, like any parent would, we just want to speak with our daughter. To put our family back together and heal. Peacefully, privately...without fanfare. So, with all due respect I must ask you...could you please give us a moment alone with our daughter?" (Setti)
He punctuates the request with a deep, respectful bow from his seated position. But while he delivers the request calmly, I feel Alto's grip on my hand tighten. Astonishingly so, to the point that I'm convinced my flesh would be torn apart by her nails already if I still had my Earthling physique. Even still, I can feel her practically vibrating with anger, though the reason for it is not clear to me.
By all metrics, Setti's request and justification sound totally reasonable, heartfelt even. I know nothing about him, his wife, Alto's upbringing, or any of the relevant drama that may have led up to Alto running away from home like he claims. I also find it plausible that a child running away from home might not necessarily have horrible parents...youth can be a dramatic, turbulent time, after all. This is exactly the kind of situation where I'd normally be inclined to put principle above my own personal feelings, recognize that I don't have enough firsthand familiarity with them or the situation, and grant his request.
However, I'm not going to do that. Not just because I know Alto and take her behavior now as evidence enough to make a decision. Rather, ever since my fox-kin trip I increasingly find that I just...don't care as much. About the principle of being impartial to strangers. About giving everything and everyone the benefit of the doubt. With my abilities now, I either spend every waking hour of every day saving innocent people, or I draw a line somewhere, ultimately ignoring the plights of people I could help with only minor inconvenience.
That's the ethical reality I've come to accept, and the place I've decided to draw my moral boundary is around my friends and the people important to them. Their happiness and our relationships come first, and everything else is secondary. I'm at peace with that philosophy, and any implications of it. Now, unfortunately for the Silver couple, Alto falls within that purview, while they...don't.
I shake my head at Setti, my demeanor calm, almost indifferent.
"Since Alto wants me here, I'll have to decline your request, Mr. Silver." (Mizuki)
A flicker of surprise crosses his face, paired with a trace of confusion. Clearly, he did not expect such blatant refusal. Out of the corner of my eye, I see similar surprise in Alto's expression, before it transitions into something more relieved, and her grip on my hand loosens dramatically.
"I beg your pardon, Lord Mizuki, but...after what my wife and I have been through, don't you think we are entitled to some time alone with our daughter? Is that not the least two grieving parents could expect? To be frank, a man – a human who by all accounts has known my daughter mere months – has no right to insist otherwise." (Setti)
I raise my eyebrows at his reproach, no matter how slight and wrapped in polite vernacular it may be. Yet, it doesn't make me indignant, or embarrassed, or even hesitant. At most, I'm a little amused, though I can't quite place why.
So, I can't help but smile at him. A small twist of my mouth, really, full of mirth that has nothing to do with being pleased about his comments. A quiet chuckle escapes me.
"Fufufu...well, to be frank in return, Mr. Silver, I don't particularly care about my rights, or your rights, or any other opinion or law of yours or anyone else's that may relate to the situation. Nor does it matter to me why your relationship is in such a poor state to begin with, or who is to blame for it. The reasons for my decision start and end with what Alto wants, right now, in this moment.
"If she wanted me to leave, I'd leave, but she wants me to stay, so I'll stay. Similarly, if you stay your course in upsetting her, and she wants you to disappear entirely, well...that's fine with me, too." (Mizuki)