---
Seraphiel looked down for one short moment, and when she looked back up, her eyes had gone colder.
"So uncle has finally remembered that the son he discarded became useful enough to fetch."
Stephen did not argue.
He was too old to waste breath defending family cruelty to someone who had watched it happen.
"He wants stability," Stephen said.
"He wants insurance," Seraphiel replied.
Stephen inclined his head. "That also."
For a few heartbeats, only the lamp flame moved.
Then Seraphiel asked the question that mattered even more tonight.
"And Sekhmet."
Stephen's posture remained perfect, but his voice lowered by a degree.
"The House Master wants to meet Young Master Sekhmet and see whether the family blood runs in him strongly or not."
That line made Seraphiel's expression change.
Not enough for lesser observers to notice.
Enough for Stephen.
