CHAPTER 342: MORNING TALK

Time flowed in a melody of laughter and shared glances as the two of them moved seamlessly around the spacious kitchen.

By the time the rain stopped, the kitchen smelled alive again, sizzling with butter, bread toasting, and coffee brewing.

Brandon poured the coffee into three cups while Florence carefully set plates on the counter, humming softly to herself.

He took a sip of the first cup and nearly winced "You like it this strong?"

Looking at him, she smiled "I can’t taste them on my tongue anyway... its just there for the ’effect’ to let me know that I am drinking something."

Upon hearing this, Brandon’s gaze lowered, and he remembered that Florence lost her sense of taste.

No matter how delicious he prepares the meal for her, she couldn’t taste anything.

Just then, the faint sound of footsteps echoed down the hall.

Kiera entered, and her hair was still damp from a shower, with half-lidded eyes from exhaustion.

Hearing noises in the kitchen, she walked to the kitchen and saw Brandon and Florence setting things on the counter.

Florence straightened her tank top, offering a soft smile. "Good morning, dear. Come here, have a cup of coffee."

Kiera hesitated for a heartbeat before stepping forward.

Her eyes flickered briefly toward Brandon and then down to the coffee Florence offered.

The warmth of the cup seeped through her fingers as she took it "Thank you."

Florence gave her a small nod, saying nothing, but there was an unspoken understanding in her gaze.

She took a slow sip and turned toward the dining table before pulling out a chair and sitting quietly.

Behind her, Brandon and Florence worked together, carrying the breakfast dishes to the table.

Eggs cooked perfectly, crisp toast, a bowl of fruit, and a plate of steaming pastries that filled the air with the smell of butter .

As they set the table, Branndon took his seat first, sitting across from Kiera.

Florence also sat beside him, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Eat, sweetheart. You must be starving after this morning," she said softly.

Kiera’s fingers tightened around her cup for a second before she nodded "...Yeah. I guess I am."

She took a careful bite of toast, and despite the comfort of a proper meal after such chaos, her gaze kept drifting... first to Brandon, then to Florence, who was smiling faintly as she arranged fruit on her plate.

For a while, the only sound was the occasional scrape of utensils and the faint patter of rain outside.

Then Kiera suddenly spoke, "How... should I call you now, Father? Dad?"

Brandon froze mid-bite with the piece of toast halfway to his mouth, and he nearly choked in shock.

"Kghu-" A small cough escaped his lips as he quickly reached for his cup, taking a long sip of coffee to mask his fluster.

Sitting beside him, Florence’s hand paused on her cup, and her cheeks turned crimson.

She ducked her head, brushing her hair behind her ear with a nervous little smile. "Kiera..." she murmured in embarrassment.

Brandon exhaled, setting the cup down carefully before giving Kiera a half-smile "You... can call me however you like. Whatever feels right to you."

Kiera chewed on her next bite in silence for a moment, her gaze dropping to her plate before rising again to meet his eyes "Then, I’ll stick with your name."

Brandon nodded his head "...Alright."

Brandon had barely gotten through half his meal before Florence leaned toward him "You’ve barely eaten anything," she murmured. "You need your strength after fighting like that."

"I’m eating," he said, raising his fork in protest.

She raised an eyebrow "Mhm. Half a toast and one bite of eggs? That’s not eating."

Before he could respond, she reached over and scooped a portion of scrambled eggs onto his plate and then another.

Brandon chuckled quietly, shaking his head helplessly.

She picked up a piece of bread, tore it in half, and pressed it into his hand. "Eat."

Kiera, sitting across from them, watched the quiet domestic warmth in silence. The faint steam rising from her coffee framed her face as she stirred it idly.

After a long pause, she spoke "...When you fought me, you didn’t even use your full power, did you?"

Brandon froze mid-bite, meeting her eyes "I won’t really say that... but sure, I was holding back a little, trying not to kill you."

Kiera’s lashes lowered slightly as she stared down at her plate. Her fingers traced the rim of her mug in slow, absent circles. "I couldn’t understand it. You’re not S-rank... but you fought like one."

"Also, I didn’t notice any killing intent from you when you fought me. But I sensed your malice when you fought Grandmother."

Florence glanced between them, sensing the weight in Kiera’s words.

Kiera continued, "She used to tell me that strength was the only way to protect what mattered. That compassion was weakness. But... when you fought me, you didn’t try to kill me. Why?"

Brandon leaned back in his chair, "Because I wasn’t fighting to prove I was stronger. I was fighting to stop you. There’s a difference."

Hearing this, Kiera frowned slightly "I see..."

She lifted her gaze toward Florence then, "All my life, I was with Grandmother. Training under her. Becoming stronger."

Her hand clenched slightly around the cup "She didn’t like Mother’s way of doing things. She called her kindness... weakness. Said that if the Bleaufort bloodline wanted to survive, we couldn’t afford to ’love’ too easily."

Florence’s expression softened with regret, guilt, and pain flickering in her eyes as she looked at her daughter.

Kiera’s tone wavered slightly as she went on "I endured Grandmother’s training alone. Her... punishments, her expectations. Because I didn’t want her to turn her attention toward Eira or Mother."

Brandon and Florence exchanged a glance as Kiera is finally opening up out of nowhere.

It was quite awkward...

But they didn’t stop her and let her continue.

Her eyes dropped again to the table "She once told me she wanted to take Eira in too. To mold her into another weapon like me."

"But I didn’t want my little sister to face the same fate I did. So I let Grandmother focus on me... I did everything she said, obeyed her and trained until I bled... so she would never touch them."

Florence’s hand trembled against her lap as she never knew this "Kiera..."

But Kiera didn’t look up "I thought if I just became what she wanted and obeyed her, she would leave you both alone."

Her eyes quivered as she remembered the scene of Florence’s death "But... when she killed you, I was so angry at her."

Her fingers tightened around her cup until her knuckles turned pale "Everything I did, all the pain, all the obedience... it felt worthless."

Kiera’s voice grew quieter still, lost somewhere between memory and regret "I thought... maybe if I endured it, she’d finally see me as something more than a tool."

Her lips quivered in grief "But when she struck you down, all I could feel was... rage. I wanted to destroy her because she took you from me."

Florence’s hands trembled slightly before she reached across the table and rested her palm over Kiera’s "Kiera... You did nothing wrong. You were a child forced to survive in a world ruled by monsters."

Kiera glanced up at her mother "I never really wanted this... It is your death that made me realize how wrong everything was."

"For so long," she whispered with her eyes fixed on the table, "I thought my silence would earn safety for the people I loved."

Florence’s throat tightened and she leaned forward without thinking, closing the small distance between them and draping an arm around Kiera’s shoulders.

"You were protecting us, Kiera. You took the burden so we wouldn’t have to. It makes you brave. Thank you, dear..."

Kiera flinched at her words "I failed you, mother. If I’d been stronger, maybe-"

"No." Florence tipped Kiera’s chin up "You didn’t fail me. We both lived in the prison that was her making. You survived it..."

Brandon watched them in silence, and his gaze softened to see Kiera finally opening up to her mother.