414 Got It From Her Mother...

Since Mika didn't know how much her mother told her father last night, she didn't know how much she should tell him and what she could tell him.

She chose to stay silent.

Seeing as his wife and daughter are still hiding things from him, Mano gave up interrogating Mika for now.

"Let's leave this section, and then you can further explain to us in detail what was going on here." Mano put the vials in his hand back into her backpack before walking away.

"Us?" Mika was confused.

Mano pointed to Ailwin, who has been standing at the edge of her scorched circle waiting for them to finished their conversation.

What the…?

Ailwin gave her a little wave as they approach him.

"Ailwin due to these unforeseen circumstances, let's resume to tour another time." Lord Mano said while giving his daughter the side eye before leading the way to the entrance.

Grabbing Ailwin by the sleeve, Mika held him back. "You were with my father this whole time?"

"En. We had a meeting planned since last night to come here."

Mika looked at his face itching to raise her leg and kick him.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You couldn't warn me that you guys were here…?"

"...And how was I suppose to do that, Mika?"

"You could have went...coo-coo...coo-coo…" Mika put her hands beside her mouth and let out a strange sound.

"….."

He shook his head, "Mikaela I'm not coo-cooing."

"Tsk! What kind of married life are we going to have if you can't coo for me.

"A dignified one…..." Ailwin muttered before walking away.

Lyra was sleeping peacefully until several voices coming in from outside Mano's bedroom woke her up.

"What is going on…?" Groggy from the late night talk with her husband, Lyra really didn't want her sleep to be disturbed. However, the voices didn't want to cooperate.

Jumping out of bed and changing out of her night wear, Lyra went to see what all the noise is about.

Sitting at a small dining table, Lord Mano and Mika were arguing over the fact that her and Lyra are keeping too many secrets from him.

"I don't understand why you couldn't tell me, I'm your father." He reasoned.

"...and did you tell your father everything that went on in your life?" Mika pointed out.

"…."

Mano remained silent. He and his father were on bad terms after his mother died. He didn't trust the man after that.

"Are you saying you can't trust me...?"

"No, I'm not saying that."

"Than what other reason could there be for you to keep this from me." He dislike this habit that Lyra has caught their daughter.

No sooner did he think about the female, did Lyra walk into the room to everyone's surprise.

"Mano...why are you yelling at our daughter?"

"Our daughter has been keeping a very interesting and important secret from me. Do you happen to know what it is…?"

"Mmm." Lyra though he must be talking about the Mika's project on the dying honey trees.

"… it's about the honey trees, Lyra."

"Ah, yes."

"You know about it. Then why didn't you tell me!?"

"...because it's our daughter's secret, why would I tell you? Mikaela needs to be the one to tell you about her secrets." Lyra looked over at her daughter's shocked expression and then gave a soft smile, "Mikaela, why didn't you tell your father?"

Oh oh oh, Mother, you are just going to throw me under the bus like that!, Mika gave a subtle shake of her head.

Lyra lifted up her eyebrow in response, This is payback for yesterday, my sweet daughter.

While mother and daughter were going tit for tat in a staring contest, Mano waited for an answer.

"Mikaela… Why didn't you tell me?"

Caught in the middle and unaware by her mother's little betrayal, Mika sat silently in her chair thinking of what she could say.

"Mikaela." Her father voice was getting harsher with each minute she didn't say anything.

Finally, she said the only answer that could come to mind, "Father, the reason I didn't tell you is because...you never asked."

"…."

So this is my fault for not asking?

"En, that's true Mano. You need to start talking more with our daughter, you always wait for her to come to you." Lyra agreed.

"Wait, I-"

"Yea, dad. You never want to talk with me."

"Now that's not tru-"

"Mano, shame on you. How could you allow our daughter to feel that way…!"

"I didn't-"

"It's okay, dad, I forgive you for our lack of father daughter conversations." Tagged teamed by his wife and daughter, left Mano feeling confused and unjustly ashamed.

Lyra and Mika teamwork was flawless, back and forth they went berating Lord Mano's fatherly duties.

When Mika said she forgives him, Lord Mano couldn't find the correct response to her words, so his mouth just threw out "I'm sorry?"

"No problem, dad. It's not that serious, were family after all."

"En...now that that's taken care of let's eat." Calling for Mano's steward, Lyra told him to bring whatever the kitchens has prepared for the morning meal."

The food arrived in a timely matter leaving no time for Mano to fully process what happened.

Ailwin on the other hand looked at Mikaela then Lady Lyra and mentally shook his head, Now I know where she get its from….

On the other side of the estate, Sienna sat by her mother's bed as Lady Delju refuse to leave her bedroom with her hands as they are.

"Mother, when are you planning on leaving this bed!" Sienna huffed, she was tired of having to feed Lady Delju her meals just because she didn't want her maids to do it.

"How can you expect me to let people see me like this! It's too much, both your father and the prince are too much!" Lady Delju began to cry again from the seventh time this morning.

Ugh! Shut up already…, Sienna slammed the bowl of herbal porridge on her mother's vanity.

"I can't take this anymore."

"Sienna…" Delju wiped her eyes to the best of her abilities with her wrapped hands and glanced over at her daughter.

Sienna looked in the mirror of her mother's vanity. The cuts that run down her body and face, just started closing up. The scabs were ugly and pulled at her skin whenever she did any sort of movements or expression on her face, even eating was hard.

"This isn't fair…"