Page 342 of Halfblood Deceived

Luce shook her head, turning to Aiko. “They’re so childish sometimes.”

Aiko was grinning. The sadness was not completely erased from her eyes, but in that moment, she seemed happy. It made Aella’s heart ache.

“Are they always like this?” Aiko asked in a whisper.

Luce smiled. “Worse.”

Aiko gave Aella an enquiring look.

“She’s right, I’m afraid,” Aella said.

Aiko huffed softly and cut a piece of her lamb.

Aella drank some more blood and took another bite. She caught Kamilla looking around the table with a serene contented expression. Aella knew Kamilla loved the idea of having a big family to take care of. She’d told Aella she didn’t want Zeydan and his family to move out. And Aella had the feeling they would be going nowhere now.

“You are a princess?” Isaiah asked Mari, his brow furrowed with curiosity until he felt everyone’s attention on him. He didn’t cower like Aella often had at first, but he looked uncomfortable.

“I am,” Mari confirmed, arching a black brow. “Why do you seem to find it so odd?”

“Perhaps because princesses usually have manners, Marigold,” Andreas jabbed.

Mari glared at him. “I’ll make flowers sprout from places you won’t like, Andreas.” She turned toward Isaiah again. “So?”

Isaiah cleared his throat. “Well, I saw pictures of a fey princess once, and she was… different. I didn’t mean to offend you.”

“I’m not offended,” Mari told him. “And I don’t give a rat’s furry arse about my title, to be honest. I’m just curious.”

A crease appeared between Isaiah’s brows.

“We were taught high fey are only blonde and statuesque,” Aella intervened, wanting to help Isaiah. “Well, the gargoyle warriors are taught that. I know because I spied on many debriefings and saw some files. But, yeah.”

Mari scoffed. “Oh, yes. The fucking Order would love to pretend us brown and small fey don’t exist. Not surprising after they destroyed and looted most of our realms, only mine remains, actually.” She gave Isaiah a sardonic smile. “I have a similar accent to my pale, tall counterparts because I was an exchange student at Avalon’s Academy most of my life.”

“Did you know the church used to deny the existence of gargoyles who weren’t European, Isaiah?” Andreas asked.

Isaiah’s eyes went wide.

Kerian nodded. “They did, indeed. And went as far as to shun their Asian, African, and Native American counterparts for centuries. Until they realized we would exterminate them, and decided to open the Order and the church to gargoyles of all origins and colors.”

“For a while, the Order didn’t believe there were any pureblood, ancient Asian, Native, or African vampires,” Zeydan said with a sardonic half-smile. “They realized their mistake eventually. But their ignorance helped the non-European courts remain strong for centuries.”

“Then the church and the Order of the Light pretended the initial discrimination hadn’t happened,” Kamilla added. “They rewrote their history, and as centuries went by and elders died, this truth was forgotten.”

“But we have receipts,” Sebastian chanted. “Namely quite a lot of books written by gargoyles who defected and wrote the truth about the Order.”

“Well, part of the truth,” Luce interjected. “Books will always have some bias because they are written by people, and people are flawed. None can be taken as the absolute truth. Which is why you must read as many as you can. To make up your own mind.”

Isaiah blinked at Luce.

Lex chuckled. “Luce is smarter than most of us.”

“That she is,” Evan said like a proud parent.

“I can lend you some of the books I’ve read about these topics, Isaiah,” Aella offered. “You’ll end up confused and outraged and even more confused. But it’s worth it.”

He dipped his chin. “I would appreciate that.”

“And I can give you an e-reader, mate,” Evan said, smiling at Isaiah. “Aella here is a paperback purist, but nothing beats having thousands of heathen books in one tiny device.”

---