Story:

Douglas gave an impatient breath. “Bill has faults. I’m aware of them. He is young, and he has been indulged.”

“He will mature,” Douglas continued. “A sensible wife can exert a considerable influence. You should not approach marriage expecting the work to have been completed before you arrive.”

Reika’s fingers settled more firmly around the folder.

Butterfly noticed that small movement with sudden sympathy.

Until minutes ago, the familiar face had been enough to sour her mood. Now she was listening to a grown man explain why a schoolgirl ought to repair his son.

Reika answered evenly. “I will leave the negotiations to Minister Hououin.”

Douglas made a dissatisfied sound.

Then he stood.

The chair rolled back behind him. He came around the desk, and the fairy’s view shifted as Reika adjusted her footing.

His voice became unpleasantly familiar. “If Bill is the difficulty, perhaps we have been considering the wrong arrangement.”

Reika went still.

Douglas stepped closer. “There are alternatives within the family.”

Butterfly’s breath caught.

The meaning was plain. So was the misuse of the room, the summons, and the authority behind the desk.

Reika took one measured step back. “Headmaster.” The word cut cleanly across whatever he had intended to say next.

Douglas stopped.

“You should conduct yourself appropriately.” Reika held his gaze.

For several seconds, neither moved.

Butterfly found herself holding perfectly still in the side passage, as though a careless breath might disturb the thin thread carrying the conversation.

Douglas’s smile disappeared. He returned behind his desk without offering an apology. “That will be all.”

Reika inclined her head.

“I expect a prompt response from your grandfather,” he added.

“I will inform him that you asked.”

She turned. The fairy’s view swept across bookshelves, a framed photograph, the brass door handle.

Reika opened the door and stepped into the corridor.

It shut behind her with a crack sharper than courtesy required.