"More tea, m'lady?" Basilisk asked, offering a pot of warm tea to Layla.

"Yes," Layla answered, her eyes refusing to look away from Kite during the entirety of breakfast. Every so often, Kite would look her way, which she quickly found a less interesting item to stare at to avoid his direct eye contact.

Layla's mind continued to race after she had entered the room. Minerva and Xander were in an engaging conversation, leaving her time to collect her thoughts about Kite.

How is he related to Solice Aion? Why would she send two people instead of herself? Who are they to her? Do I talk to Xander, or Kite? Xander talks more than Kite, so logically I should talk to him more, but Kite is just so handsome. I want to talk to him too. Would they know Nora? I wanted to ask Solice about Nora, but I have these two. Maybe Kite will start talking if I say something to him. He did talk to me when I brought him food.

"Uhm," Layla started, but her words trailed as Saber came up to her.

Saber bowed, "Lady Layla, Lady Charla requests that you see her immediately after breakfast."

Layla looked back to her empty plate she had been absently eating from. She quickly took her nearly full cup of tea and quietly sipped it as fast as she could.

"I will see her now," Layla said, standing up from her seat that Basilisk pulled behind her with a skill that could only be deemed as reflex. She followed Saber out of the dining hall.

The two went down a hall that led into a rather unused part of the estate. There, in the middle of the hall, a room with open doors emitted light from the inside. Layla knew where they were headed. She didn't go this way often, due to the lack of usage, but she had been in this estate enough to know each room.

"Mother, Father." Layla curtsied the minute she was within view of the room inside. Saber bowed in succession to her curtsy. Her parents sat quite the distance away from her on a couch, they were engaged deeply in conversation with Rebecca, to Layla's shock.

"Lady Rebecca." Layla quickly acknowledged the other lady as well.

Charla waved her hand forward to indicate the empty seat next to Rebecca. "Come, we must have an important conversation about your Council choices."

Layla slightly cringed at the thought of having to sit next to Rebecca with her parents present. It was the worst case scenario playing in her head. She quietly accepted her fate, still obliging to the request.

"We heard," Charla firmly spoke, "you invited outsiders to your Council Selection. A fuss was made over a seat. What do you have to say?"

Rebecca quickly interjected, "Not just a fuss, Charla."

"She dared to disrespect me. My son and those blasted Silvers were there to witness it too. I could not believe my eyes when Judah raised his hand against me. For all I have done to help raise your daughter into a proper noble, she repaid me with disobedience," Rebecca raised her voice higher with each word.

Layla hung her head as the two spewed out their frustrations over her choices, she looked to Soren for any sort of consolation, only to be met with him glaring stare at her. Her eyes returned to look at her lap, tears brimming.

"Layla, answer us. What do you have to say for yourself?!" Rebecca shouted, shaking the couch with her as her voice rose.

"I am terribly sorry for disobeying you, Lady Rebecca. I meant no disrespect. My choices have caused possible severe consequences that will harm the integrity of the Azure name. Please forgive me." Layla answered with a monotone voice.

Rebecca quickly stood facing Layla, she pulled Layla off the seat harshly. Layla allowed for Rebecca to touch her, knowing what was to come next. Rebecca released her hold on Layla, and swiftly raised her hand above her head. With one abrupt swoop, she slapped Layla across her cheek.

Layla's head turned away from the side that she was slapped on, the force pushing her head to look in the opposite different. Rebecca continued with another slap, repeatedly slapping Layla across her cheeks in fury. After the long torment of being slapped harshly, she placed her hand gently onto one cheek, knowing full well it was red at this point. The spot stung even with the slightest touch.

"You are excused." Rebecca huffed after she placed her arm back to her sides. As soon as Layla was excused by Rebecca, she quickly curtsied to the group and left the room.

Trailing behind her, Saber turned his head behind them and slowly crept up to Layla. "Are you okay? Do you want ice?"

"I'll be fine, this is nothing new. I'm going to my room. Please bring the ice there, Saber." Layla continued to lightly cover her cheek with her hand, briskly walking with Saber to her room.

"Please rest in your room while I get some ice for you." Saber opened the door to her room once they arrived.

Layla stopped in her tracks as she found two figures waiting in her room. Once she adjusted to who was inside, she saw Summer and Minerva casually sitting on her bed. In Summer's lap was a bag that was wrapped in a thick cloth.

Summer raised the bag up for Layla to see clearly, it was a bag of ice.

"We were down the hall when we heard you wanted ice." Minerva said, taking the ice from Summer. She placed the bag in Layla's free hand.

"Thank you..." Layla placed the cool item to her cheek, breathing a sigh of relief as the feeling of the ice hit her skin.

"I guess my job is done here, I better get back to Basilisk." Saber pointed down the hall to an empty area, trying to casually excuse himself, "Layla, call me if you need anything."

"I will," Layla answered, smiling slightly as Saber left and closed the door behind him.

Minerva pulled Layla to the bed where Summer was still sitting, returning to her spot and putting Layla between them. "What happened?"

Layla shrugged her shoulders, pulling the bag off her cheek. "Just the usual lecture. It was a slap this time."

"Was it over your invite choices?" Summer asked, "Basilisk already took the beating for that though."

Layla gently reached up to feel her face, the makeup on her cheek had rubbed off at this point. "Basilisk got in trouble on my behalf?"

Summer immediately got up to gather makeup products to adjust the lack of on Layla's cheek. While she added product to cover the clearly missing amount, she began to explain what had happened.

"That day Basilisk was summoned into her office after you insisted on inviting Solice Aion. During that meeting, he told me that Rebecca berated him to the point of having him thrown against a table, then after, he was given a warning for permanent exile. I'm surprised you haven't seen the card in his pocket yet, or the massive bruises he had on his arm and side."

Minerva and Layla held their breath as Summer told them what had happened to Basilisk. They both stared in complete silence as they listened to Summer.

Layla was the first to speak up after the explanation. "I got off easy with a slap?"

"I can't believe she would go so far." Minerva added, covering her mouth in the process.

The three sat in silence while Summer continued to work on fixing Layla's makeup. After what seemed like eternity, Summer pulled away from Layla to admire her work. The paled part of the cheek that was once red from the slap was now a rosy pink from the blush powder that was added.

"I'm finished." Summer told Layla, gently nudging her cheek to Minerva's view to show what was done. Minerva gave a sign of approval and smiled.

"Let's sit out on the balcony while we wait for the guests to arrive." Layla offered to the two, getting up from her bed. She headed to the balcony doors, opening it to a light breeze that blew into her room. She sat herself on one of the benches, waiting for Summer and Minerva to join her.

The three of them sat facing the courtyard, when two people wandered through it after they situated themselves. One caught the eyes of Layla, so she turned to get a better look at that person. To her delight, it was Kite walking through the courtyard with Xander.

"What are you staring at?" Minerva asked, following Layla's gaze. Summer copied, also looking in that direction. The two tried to find any significant detail in that area that may catch the attention of Layla. Minerva spotted the two walking through the courtyard just as they turned to face the direction of Layla's room.

"Oh, it's just those two." Minerva sighed, flopping back down onto the bench.

"I see them, it's Xander and Kite." Summer happily joined Minerva, but then she noticed a slight shift in color to Layla's face. "Are you blushing, Layla?"