A visibly upset Astrid led the three sisters toward the gathering of younger nobles.
Hermione glanced sideways at Airam, only to find her looking completely unbothered. It was almost irritating in itself. Should Hermione be relieved that Airam had not snapped outright and said something truly reckless? She had chosen a calmer approach, yes, but that calmness had only made her words cut deeper. There was something uniquely irritating about the way Airam dismantled people without ever raising her voice, using cold logic and plain truth as if that somehow made the insult cleaner. It seemed she had learnt from Ulrich how to respond without using violence…though she had learnt his way to be insulting as well.
"Big sister, eldest sister, you are being too mean..."
Esther's voice came out small and unhappy beside them.
Hermione looked at her in disbelief. "W-What? I didn't even do anything."
