After Eira heard the name Voclain, a chill ran down her spine. Of course. Voclain. That was the same surname as her Potions Professor at Beauxbâtons—René Voclain. And not only that, it was also the surname of the current French Minister of Magic, Isabella Voclain. The pieces clicked together in her mind with an almost deafening snap.
Her heart beat faster. So that's who he was… Professor Voclain—René—and Minister Isabella… It all made sense now. But if that were the case… perhaps this explained why the Minister had treated her so warmly during the diplomatic meeting. Why she had lingered on her words, why there had been that unspoken familiarity.
Her gaze sharpened as she turned to Shani, the old house-elf who was under the influence of the potion standing before her. "How did you know about their relationship?" she asked, her voice cutting through the room like glass. "I'm sure my grandmother wouldn't have trusted a house-elf with secrets like these. So how do you know?"
Shani replied as her ears twitching slightly. "Madam Olivia trusted Shani since she was a young girl, Miss," she said softly. "Shani was very helpful to Madam. Shani used to deliver letters to Master Adrian… and sometimes, Shani would teleport Madam to see him in secret."
Eira's eyebrows lifted sharply. "Since when did my grandmother have a relationship with Adrian?" she demanded. "And how long did it last?"
Shani didn't hesitate. "Madam and Master Adrian were very young when they began seeing each other," she said. "Their relationship lasted many years, Miss… until Madam was killed by Master Elijah White."
Eira felt her stomach twist. "So they continued their relationship… even after marrying different people?"
"Yes, Miss," Shani said, nodding. "They did."
Eira's voice turned bitter. "Then why didn't they marry each other? If they were so close, why marry someone else?"
Shani's tone lowered further. "Madam's father despised the Voclain family, Miss. He forbade Madam from marrying Master Adrian. He forced her to marry Master Elijah White instead."
Eira exhaled sharply. It was all too much. Such a fucked up story, she thought grimly.
She steadied herself and asked, "What's the relationship between René Voclain and Adrian Voclain?"
Without skipping a beat, Shani answered, "René Voclain was married to Master Adrian, Miss."
Eira's breath caught. Married. She had assumed they were siblings, cousins perhaps—but husband and wife?
She remembered her grandfather's voice now. I killed my wife… and the man she had an affair with.
A tremor ran through her as she asked, "Did my grandfather know about the long relationship they had?"
Shani shook her head. "No, Miss. Master Elijah thought it was a one-time affair—an accident under the influence of alcohol—that resulted in Madam giving birth to Master Cecil. When he discovered the truth, that there was a child from it, he became enraged. He killed Madam… and Master Adrian."
The room spun for a moment. Eira swallowed hard. Disgust pooled in her chest—not only at Adrian, but at Olivia as well. Her grandmother had tried to pass the affair off as a drunken mistake… when in truth, it had been a lifelong love.
"And… does René Voclain know about all this?" Eira asked cautiously.
Shani nodded. "Yes, Miss. She knows."
Eira hesitated before asking the next question. "And Adrian… did he have other children? Is Isabella Voclain related to him?"
"Yes, Miss. Master Adrian had three children with René Voclain: Isabella Voclain, Maximilian Voclain, and Maria Voclain."
Eira nodded slowly, trying to process it all.
That's when Emma, who had been silent until now, tilted her head. "My lady," she said carefully, "don't you think that name… Maria… sounds a bit familiar?"
Eira frowned. "Yes… it's the same name as my mother's."
And then she stopped cold.
Her eyes flicked toward Emma, alarm dawning across her face. "You don't think they're the same person, do you?" she whispered. "That would be… insane. I mean, maybe they just have the same name…"
Emma turned sharply toward Shani. "Who is this Maria Voclain?" she asked. "Is she the same person as Maria White?"
"Yes, Miss," Shani replied without hesitation. "They are the same person. Maria White was previously Maria Voclain—the daughter of Master Adrian."
The world tilted.
Eira's vision darkened around the edges. Her hands shook violently, her breath faltered. The walls, the books, the chairs—everything around her began to rattle and rise, as though the room itself had lost gravity. Her magic, raw and uncontained, surged forth uncontrollably.
Emma rushed to her side. "My lady!" she cried, gripping Eira firmly and pulling her close, shielding her from the floating debris. "It's alright. Breathe. Breathe, my lady!"
And then, after what felt like hours—but was only moments—the room fell still. Everything settled.
Eira blinked rapidly, disoriented. "What… what happened?"
"You had your magical rite, my lady," Emma said gently. "It's alright. It happens to young witches when they experience powerful emotions. It's natural."
Eira took a long breath. Then another. She reached inward and activated her Occlumency, pushing the chaos down, pulling calmness over herself like a blanket.
"I was just… surprised," she muttered, still trembling slightly. "That must have triggered it."
She turned slowly toward Shani again. "Who removed this information from the family records about the identity of my mother ?"
"Elijah White," Shani answered without hesitation.
Emma crossed her arms. "Maybe he wanted to hide the fact that your parents were… step-siblings."
Eira grimaced. "Please don't remind me. That's… ugh. That's weird."
She took another steadying breath and looked at Shani again. "When you came to me to cut my hair after the funeral… where did you put the hair, Shani?"
Shani replied calmly, "It's in a box, in the room where Shani stays, Miss."
Eira narrowed her eyes. "What were you planning to do with it? As far as I've checked, the tradition of cutting hair after the Lord's funeral is real. But is there something else?"
Shani nodded. "After the funeral, Master Cecil asked Shani to save some of your hair… for a legitimacy determination ritual. In case the Ministry ever demands proof."
"So… he wanted to use it to prove I'm an illegitimate child," Eira said darkly.
Shani nodded again.
Eira's jaw clenched as she leaned back in her chair, mind reeling. Lies, betrayal, secrets embedded in generations. She had always known the White family was tangled in darkness—but this… this was worse than anything she'd imagined.
And now, she knew the truth. About her grandparents. About her parents. About herself.
And what she chose to do with it… that would decide everything.