!
Conor’s arrival was speedy and for this, Tayui was glad: she did not want to waste time waiting and rethinking what she would say to him. She had spent the entire journey from AniWaya to Dahlia de Mai considering her words and formulating ways to explain the situation at hand. She needed to tell him a number of things, all of which she expected he would take rather poorly. While he might react well, she knew that learning more about his father and his vicious deeds would weigh heavily on his mind for some time. Tayui hated knowing she would be the one to burden the young boy with this knowledge, but she knew she had to do this. She owed it to him, both as the new leader of Dahlia de Mai and as Claudius’ half-sibling. Even if they shared ties only through Haku, they were still family.
“Not too well,” she answered honestly, then paused. “I’ve got something to tell you,” she began, and then hurriedly added: “it’s nothing bad about Claudius, but… you deserve to know.” Even though she had no right to tell him, she still owed it to him. She frowned, considering this, wondering if this really was a good idea. No, it had to be the right idea: it was the only thing she could do. She couldn't make this right, but at least she could reveal the truth.