[He takes his own tea, but doesn't sip it or even raise it up to his mouth at first, preferring instead to rotate it idly in its saucer, and then after a minute, to run his finger absently around the lip. It smells great, and it is his favorite; it's a little like having Holst close at hand, actually.

Maybe that's why he's not sipping it just yet. Because Holst is such a part of this, too.]

Well. She hated my mom, first, is the thing.

[His finger traces the rim of the teacup again.]

You know, you'd probably like the story of how my mom met my dad. It really was like something out of the storybooks. She was from this little town in the mountains, never been out to see the world before, and my dad...I mean, he was the Baron Albrecht. Alliance nobility. She got herself into some trouble, he rescued her, they fell madly in love...

But you know how it is with noble families, yeah? Bloodline's everything, and hers was a complete mystery. My dad's family hated her from the moment they laid eyes on her.