Capítulo 178: Chapter 178: Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right (1)
The April sun streamed through the grand French windows of Feywood Heights' drawing room, catching in the ornate chandelier and scattering into hundreds of shimmering light spots that danced playfully across the walls and floor. They were framed with sumptuous velvet curtains in deep green, tied back with silver tassels that sharply contrasted with the dove-grey walls. The furniture was an eclectic mix of antique French pieces, each carefully curated by Duchess Louisa McMahon. She sat on an elegant Louis XVI-style settee, reupholstered in pale blue silk. Her long golden hair was loosely tied in a bun, her face frozen in intense concentration as her pencil added the final touches to a sketch of the central piece for her new collection.
The witch wore a midnight-blue silk robe, its subtle embroidery tracing intricate, arcane patterns along the cuffs, collar, and hemline.
"Mistress." – a squeaky, high-pitched voice broke her focus. Louisa lifted her jade-green eyes from the drawing – "Marquess Egbert wishes to see the Mistress. Twinkle told him no one is to disturb the Mistress but he…"
"It's alright." – the witch sighed, waving her hand – "We'll have the tea here."
The small creature bowed and darted toward the door, where it sank into another bow at Carsilion, who entered with an amused smile.
"Your Grace, every time I enter a room you're in, it feels as though the very air holds its breath, completely captivated by your beauty and elegance that feel almost otherworldly." – the wizard declared, bowing in an exaggerated flourish.
"Are you making fun of me?" – the woman asked, annoyance creeping into her voice as she set her sketchbook on the low oak table in front of her.
"Not in the slightest." – Carsilion grinned, taking a seat beside her and loosening his tie – "It's quite warm outside, and I've had my fill of meetings with unpleasant people today. Being here with you is like a healing balm for my soul."
"Yeah, right." – the Duchess scoffed, rolling her eyes – "Where's Edward? I thought there was a Council meeting today."
"He stayed behind to listen to Borealis' rant about Greg." – the wizard replied grimly, eyeing the teapot Twinkle had just placed on the table, along with a plate of finger sandwiches – "I think he might need something stronger once he's back."
Louisa hissed, her eyes blazing with intense displeasure. "I can't stand that arrogant prick!" – she exclaimed heatedly – "Can you believe he sent his little rat to spy on me and Leona? As if I wouldn't notice his beady eyes staring at me all day from across the street. They must think I'm an idiot."
"It's better this way." – Carsilion said, patting her hand soothingly – "We don't want to draw any more attention, and Adrian is already watching Hogwarts closely. We need to keep him occupied—and you, mon chardon,[1] are the definition of distraction for men."
"For most men, yes." – Louisa replied, her tone cooling as she took a regal sip of tea – "But did you know that Duke Prince is immune to my Veela powers?"
"That is quite fascinating." – the Marquess noted thoughtfully – "It must be something passed down in his bloodline from Merlin. They didn't call him the Prince of Enchanters for nothing."
"But what good is all that power in the end?" – the witch asked, her voice softening, the Marquess giving her a surprised glance – "Alexander seems to have given up on life. He's alone in that vast manor, and everyone wonders what will happen to the House of Prince when he's gone."
"He has a daughter—and possibly a grandchild." – Carsilion reminded her – "But without official recognition, neither will be acknowledged as heirs or be able to lead the House. I do wonder what drove Eiline to run away like she did."
"You of all people know how unbearable life among the aristocrats can be, despite the perks." – Louisa said gently, her eyes catching the darkening expression on the wizard's face. Before he could respond, Duke Edward McMahon entered, unfastening his cloak and tossing it onto the nearest chair. He sank onto the sofa between his wife and his best friend, sighing audibly, eyes closed in exasperation.
"That bloody son of a banshee!" – he groaned, rubbing his temples – "I've never seen anyone so utterly in love with himself! Can you imagine? He claims Greg offended his honour?! What honour?! This is the same man who baby-trapped his wife just to gain favour with his father and North Redmond! Not to mention whatever he did to his older brother. I doubt Altair just evaporated from the face of the Earth!"
"You discussed Greg during the Council's meeting?!" – Louisa exclaimed, her face flushing and her hair crackling with raw magic.
"No, mon amour! Don't worry!" – Edward quickly tried to comfort her – "Duke Prince obviously wouldn't have allowed such trivial nonsense on the agenda! Adrian insisted on bringing it up after the meeting concluded. It was so damn exhausting! And if Borealis wasn't bad enough, I had to listen to O'Dragan's constant bragging—which, honestly, was the most pleasant conversation I had today. After that, North Redmond chewed me up for delays in the production of enchanted emeralds. I didn't even know what he was talking about! Why can't he just send an owl like a normal person?! Eventually, he called me incompetent and went off looking for Alexander. I suppose he had to ruin his day too, just to fulfil his daily quota. I barely survived, my nymph! I'm so happy to be back with you!"
With that, the Duke grabbed his wife's hand and pulled her into his arms, kissing her passionately. His hands slowly moved down her back as he insatiably enjoyed the witch's warm, soft lips and her divine taste that had driven him insane since the first time he kissed her in Florian Plantier's garden.
"Ahem, either break it up or at least be a gracious host and share with your guest." – Carsilion's mocking voice made Edward release the blushing witch. He shot an irritated glare at his best friend, who sat not more than an arm's reach away, wearing one of his trademark smirks.
"In your dreams." – the blond wizard hissed, making the other man laugh heartily.
"Such a jealous boy!" – the Marquess purred, ducking to avoid the water that flew his way from a nearby vase.
"I already have two teenagers in this house. I don't need two more!" – Louisa snapped, jumping to her feet and drawing her wand. Both men flinched, but she merely vanished the water from her Persian carpet.
"Speaking of which," – Carsilion said, his face suddenly serious – "Dumbledore mentioned that Catherine isn't doing so well with her Occlumency training."
"No?" – Edward exclaimed, surprised – "But she should be a natural! She's the only one besides me who can withstand Florian's flower-induced illusions. That means she must be extremely gifted in Occlumency. It's probably just some sort of mental block."
"I'm just passing on what Albus said." – the other wizard shrugged – "Honestly, I'm not that impressed with her fire magic either. I know she only started a several months ago, but she doesn't feel very strong."
"That's strange, because she felt quite strong when she destroyed my study during the winter break." – the Duke said, sounding a bit defensive of his daughter's abilities – "Wait a second! How do you know that?"
"Well, we had a bit of… disagreement during one of her detentions." – Carsilion explained nonchalantly.
"Are you bullying my daughter again?" – Louisa asked, her eyes flashing dangerously – "I warned you what would happen if you continued. Do you think your new fling will still accept you in her bed if you're in the shape of a giant rodent?"
"First of all, Minerva is not a fling, and as the Transfiguration professor, she's perfectly capable of turning me back into the masterpiece that I am." – the Marquess shot back with a smug grin – "Second, you both knew and agreed she had to be severely punished for roaming around without permission. Look at the mess we ended up in because of that! I've heard from a very reliable source that Adrian has been sending letters to Malfoy Manor. There aren't many things he could want from them."
"But I thought Malfoy's son already graduated." – the Duke frowned.
"He did." - Carsilion confirmed - "However, this year Lucius suddenly replaced his father as a member of the Hogwarts Board of Governors. I've seen him in the castle on numerous occasions, and he has the right to be there. That means he probably still has considerable influence over his former Housemates, and I wouldn't rule out one or more of them doing his bidding."
"I don't like this at all." – Edward sighed, closing his eyes for a moment – "We can't let them find out about Catherine before she turns sixteen. It'll be hard enough then, but nearly impossible if her magic isn't stable enough to prove our point."
"I agree, but I'm even more worried about whether she'll make it that far." – the Marquess said softly, his heart sinking at the sight of Louisa's terrified face – "You've probably noticed—she's been losing a lot of weight. I've been watching her closely these past few months. She eats a decent amount of food, maybe even more than most girls, yet she looks more and more frail."
"She's fourteen." – Edward said, trying to sound cheerful – "It's normal for her to go through changes, right?"
"Not to this extent, brother." – the other wizard replied, then paused, his eyes brimming with tears as he found the courage to voice their shared fears – "I discussed it briefly with Dumbledore, and we both think it's most likely due to her being inclined towards true fire."
"That's nonsense!" – the Duke snapped – "What's wrong with Dumbledore? First, he says true fire is helping Catherine protect herself from the demon's influence, and now he says it's destroying her body. Which one is it?"
"There's a lot we don't know about true fire, given how rare it is." – Carsilion said, trying to reason with his friend – "But there must be an explanation why female Fire Mages are so extremely rare. Maybe their bodies can't withstand the element's intensity."
"But there have been female Fire Mages!" – Louisa protested, biting her lip in distress – "So that can't be the reason."
"Yes, but from what I know, those witches were all Salamander-type." – the Marquess continued – "I'm not sure I've ever heard of a female Fire Mage belonging to a higher class. Albus insists that Catherine is a Phoenix-type. If that's true, maybe her power is literally destroying her."
"I refuse to believe that!" – Lousia snapped – "There must be another explanation—or a way to fix it! I'll write to my mother. Veelas are fiery creatures, even if they don't carry part of the first flame like Salamanders, Phoenixes, and Dragons. She might know what's going on and how to help Catherine!"
"I thought you didn't want to tell your mother about Catherine's inclination, my nymph." – Edwards said, confused.
"I still don't." – the witch confirmed, heading towards the door – "But I'll do anything to save my daughter. If that means dealing with my mother and her entitled nature, so be it!"
The Duke buried his face in his hands, feeling as though a mountain weighed on his shoulders, one he simply couldn't shake off. He heard movement and looked up to see a glass of what appeared to be his Martell 3 Stars Cognac.
"How do you always manage to find my most expensive alcohol, no matter where I hide it?" – Edward muttered, though he took the glass anyway.
"One of the talents I'm most proud of." – Carsilion replied with a smile, settling back onto the sofa beside his best friend – "Calm down, we'll find a way. Besides, aside from the weight loss, there aren't any other worrying signs."
"What about the nightmares?" – the other man whispered, staring into the amber liquid in his glass.
"If they were those nightmares, she would have lost her mind by now." – the Marquess stated drily – "I don't know how, but she's fighting the demon—and she's winning, Edd. Believe in her!"
"I do." – the Duke said, wiping his teary eyes with the back of his hand – "But I'm terrified, Carter. What if we're wrong, and she goes berserk, killing thousands? What if, despite all our preparations, the Council decides to punish us for breaching the Pact? We're all hanging over a huge chasm, and it feels like the slightest gust could send us plunging over the edge."
"In that case, you're very lucky, because I'm the one who controls the wind." – Carsilion said with a grin, trying to cheer his friend – "We can't lose our focus now. Let's deal with each crisis as it comes. Maybe Étincelle really does have some insights about how to strengthen Catherine's body."
"I hate feeling this helpless!" – Edward exclaimed – "Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to plan a trip for Louisa and the kids to France this summer."
"Definitely worth considering." – the other man agreed – "The girl will be thrilled to travel abroad, and if Louisa isn't here, it'll be easier to start preparing for… any unexpected situations that may come up in the near future."
The Duke only nodded, and the two wizards finished their drinks in silence.
[1] Chardon means thistle in French.
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