Sitting at the side table, Lys felt thoroughly frustrated. If Lucius hadn't mentioned they'd be heading to Germany around March, she wouldn't have been in such a desperate rush to double her potion dosage so recklessly.
Still, there was a silver lining. Lys glanced at the small piece of pudding before her and sighed. After finishing these two months of potions, she'd finally be able to use magic again.
She sat there calculating. The very first thing she'd do once her magic returned would be to rip Cerebold's perch from the kitchen window and hurl it into the garden.
Merlin only knew what possessed her to fix it there with a Permanent Sticking Charm. Even when she'd begged her father to help remove it, he couldn't manage the task.
Every single time Gabeng shared treats with that ridiculous bird, the window and countertops would be splattered with blood and chunks of meat. Lys was convinced it was intentional!
The creature only made such a mess when Lys was alone in the kitchen—never when Noah was around!
Lys licked her lips and eyed the pudding again... She desperately wanted another piece...
But she restrained herself. Even by the banquet's end, that piece of pudding remained untouched on her plate.
After the festivities, Lucius introduced Lys to the German delegation. Given Lys's gender, they'd even brought the nobleman's wife along.
The woman, draped in ostentatious finery, could barely mask her revulsion upon seeing Lys's substantial figure. Her disgust nearly spilled from her eyes.
Lys couldn't help but compare her unfavorably to Narcissa—her senior's composure was far superior. When Narcissa had seen Lys today, aside from one sharp intake of breath, her expression had remained perfectly neutral.
As she listened to the group discuss collaboration details, Lys had to bite back sarcastic comments. If it weren't so inappropriate, she would have started mocking them on the spot. Only after the Germans departed did Lys tactfully suggest to Lucius: "Senior, you might want to find a different translator."
She left wearing a slightly mocking smile.
Though she'd teased Lucius, the attitudes of both the German nobleman and his translator had confirmed her suspicions—this German assignment wouldn't be nearly as manageable as Lucius had suggested.
She replayed the nobleman's words in her mind. The casual dismissiveness and barely concealed contempt in his tone made her frown deeply. Due to the gap between spoken and written German, Lys couldn't catch everything as clearly as when reading newspapers, but she could still detect the condescension in their word choices.
Germany... clearly wasn't optimistic about this partnership.
That nobleman was merely a supervisor like herself—not someone with real authority or influence. Which made his attitude rather telling. Lys tugged at her wizard robes... How she longed to wear a proper suit instead...
So the question remained: was Lucius equally in the dark, or... God, she wanted ice cream...
Noah appeared at the gates of Malfoy Manor to collect Lys. He pressed a miniature ice cream into her hands, then pulled out a handkerchief to dab the perspiration from her face.
Seeing his daughter's pallid complexion, Noah sighed internally.
Senna had nearly started a row with him the previous night—all because Little Star had secretly doubled her potion dosage without consulting either parent. He couldn't fathom why she was in such a frantic hurry.
Lucius stood in his study, gazing down at the scene below, his fingers stroking the ornate serpent head of his walking stick. His expression was unreadable. Turning away, he addressed his wife, who had just entered carrying their precious son.
"Has little Draco been fussing? I'll finish reviewing these contracts shortly and can mind him for a while. Feifei is still training the new house-elves—just a few more days."
When Narcissa had entered, she'd caught a glimpse of Lucius's troubled expression reflected in the window glass. "Is something troubling you? Difficulties with the Germans?"
Lucius exhaled heavily. "I'd assumed Stalys's temperament and abilities would be sufficient to handle those German fools, but now... I'm beginning to question whether sending her to Germany is wise."
"I fear she'll suppress her true capabilities to avoid drawing attention. Yet with her background and family connections, she has no political support. Those German aristocrats are notoriously difficult to manage."
Narcissa's eyes flickered with interest. "Speaking of which, Feifei asked me while arranging the meals whether we should make special dietary preparations for Miss Black next time—apparently Professor Snape mentioned that Miss Black is expecting."
Lucius's eyebrows shot up dramatically, his voice rising involuntarily. "Truly? She swore to me it was merely potion side effects."
Narcissa shot Lucius a reproving look for startling the baby, who was beginning to whimper. She soothed Draco while replying quietly, "I cannot confirm it, but..."
The couple exchanged meaningful glances, their suspicions deepening.
After all, immediately following that vicious duel with Bellatrix, Stalys had borrowed their family physician, then vanished for months. Upon her return, she'd grown progressively larger, never used magic directly, and exclusively traveled by Floo Network or Side-Along Apparition.
Previously, she'd been utterly careless with her own safety. Now she exercised such extreme caution...
Lucius's expression grew complicated. He found himself wondering—if his former student truly was pregnant, who on earth could be the father...?
Honestly, even if Lys swore she wasn't pregnant and claimed she'd borrowed the doctor for her mother, Lucius and Narcissa wouldn't believe her.
Rational werewolves and their partners almost never chose to reproduce—a single contraceptive potion would prevent conception entirely. Moreover, rumors suggested Stalys's mother possessed considerable skill in potion-brewing.
Narcissa spoke first: "So her lack of anger at the Germans' disrespect—could it be because she simply cannot afford to lose her temper right now?"
Lucius glanced down at Lys, who was savoring her final spoonful of ice cream.
"Perhaps..."
As Lys prepared to leave, she felt an odd prickle of awareness. Before Apparating away, she cast one last glance at the brilliantly illuminated Malfoy Manor.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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