Blunt Conversations Ⅴ

The hours quickly pass by in the study of Reginald Prince. The only sound heard is that of a quill writing upon parchment. Occasionally, there is a pause as the metal nub is dipped into the pot of ink, before continuing. There will be a longer lapse of silence when the letter is magically dried (to ensure the ink is dry). The letter is swiftly sealed with red wax and stamped with the Prince family crest of a wyvern intertwined with a fierce dagger.

A popping sound tends to be immediately heard as Tadbey will appear in the study without a word and departs with the letter in hand. There was no time to deliver the written letter by owl. They needed to be delivered by house elf, no matter how rude that may be.

The gong rings in the study causing Reginald to pause and stretch his neck. His neck loudly pops as he glances at the grandfather clock in the corner of the room. The clock read as 6 o'clock. Dinner would be served in half an hour. He still had plenty of time to tidy himself up.

Pressing the tip of the quill to a new sheet of parchment, Reginald had just commenced to write, when the air shifted becoming a few degrees cooler. Effortlessly gliding through the oak door is a pearly, white figure. Sir Knight Prince is handsome even in death. His body carries, the beheaded head of Sir Knight Prince.

Without glancing up from his task, Reginald crisply says, "You must have been dawdling the afternoon away in the attic, you are late."

"It was not my intention, Reginald," Sir Knight Prince's replied. "Time is meaningless to the dead."

"Yes, that is exactly why I had Dawn place a clock in the attic," Reginald mercilessly reminded.

Sir Knight Prince's body sheepishly shrugs in response. Sensing that Reginald is not in the mood to be teased, Sir Knight Prince becomes more solemn. "In that case have you already spoken to Rowan?"

"Rowan has been made aware of the change in her education."

"I suspect you did not explain your reasoning, did you, Reginald?" Sir Knight Prince frowned.

"It is of no great consequence."

"Is of great consequence, Reginald."

Reginald paused to gaze solemnly at Sir Knight Prince. "Severus is my heir and must be trained."

"Yes, but you did not explain to Rowan the reasoning behind your decision. Do you wish for her to think herself lesser than Severus?!"

"Sir Knight Prince," Reginald coldly said, "the Prince heirship can only be passed to a male heir. If it were my choice, I would have selected Rowan over Severus. She has a far cooler head for business and calculations, while Severus can be rash much like Godric Gryffindor." He let out an unhappy snort.

"Although my sister and granddaughter are just as worthy of the title, they cannot inherit the title." Reginald's lips twitched in a self-deprecating sneer. "The ancient wards of Prince Manor will not permit it. The clan founders for all their power were blinded by the traditional patriarchy. Those bags of bones never counted on the fact that the line would dwindle down again and that the only source of revival would be through the female lines. One would think they would have anticipated such a scenario."

"I do not disagree with your words, Reginald," Sir Knight Prince knowingly replied. He floats away back to the attic. His eyes are half-closed becoming lost in the countless memories of the past. Both good and bad.

Alone Reginald takes the dry letter and prepares them to be mailed. He ensures they are properly sealed with the Prince family seal, before piling them together in a tidy pile ready to be taken away by Tadbey.

A knock at the door causes Reginald to look up. "Enter," Reginald said as the door swung open to reveal his sister, Georgine.

Georgine arches her brow at her brother and then at Sir Knight Prince. "Mm, meeting without me?"

"Not as such," Reginald denied the accusation.

"I jest, brother," Georgine teased half-serious.

"I presume you have spoken to Rowan?" Georgine asked as she stridded purposefully across the room and takes the seat in front of her brother.

"Yes," Reginald frankly answered.

Georgine's dark eyes sweep over her brother. "Yet you do not appear pleased. Are you disappointed by her reaction or lack thereof?"

Reginald does not immediately respond telling Georgine all that she needs to know. Georgine sympathetically sighs, "Reginald, you more than anyone else has studied the wards of the estate. You would have more than willingly changed the wards encasing Prince Manor to permit a female heir if possible. However, the wards are tied to our bloodline. It cannot be done not even for all the love you always had for Eileen."

Countless emotions flash through Reginald's eyes revealing sorrow, pain, anger, and even love. How could he not feel all these things at the mere mention of Eileen's name? She was his only child, who he adored since the day of her conception. He would have given Eileen all that he possessed. Yet despite all his best efforts, Eileen could not inherit the family title.

The only solution Reginald found was to have Eileen wed a son-in-law willing to enter into the family. The son-in-law would take their surname and any child born from their union would be a Prince. Eileen could not inherit the title, but through her children, she could. Eileen would be the regent of Prince Manor until the heir became of age.

Eileen simply left not long after graduating from Hogwarts leaving Reginald and Sirsa filled with worry, pain, and disappointment at their only child's disappearance. When they learned that Eileen had married a muggle, they had been heartbroken, especially Reginald. He could not bear it and turned away never looking back until the fateful morning when a letter arrived from Eileen requesting to come home. Oh how, joyous they had been.

Sirsa excitedly prepared Prince Manor for the arrival of their daughter along with their grandchildren. Even Georgine helped knowing how much the return of Eileen meant to Reginald and Sirsa. Yet in their separation, Eileen had changed. Her melancholia had worsened leaving almost an unfamiliar stranger in its wretched wake. And worst of all not long after they had regained their lost daughter, Eileen left them (including her children) again. That day Reginald's love for his daughter began to wilt until only thorns remained behind.

Coming to Reginald found Georgine's brow furrowed in concern. "Once," he calmly admitted even to his own astonishment. "Now, there is no need. There is Severus." He paused to add as an afterthought, "-and Rodrigo."

"Yes," Georgine slowly smiled in amazement at hearing Reginald acknowledge Rodrigo as an heir.

Sensing that her brother no longer wishes to speak, Georgine rises to her feet. "They are expecting us." She extended her hand in invitation.

"Undoubtedly," Reginald said, before offering her the crook of his arm.

The two of them depart from the study and head down the hall to the dining hall. It would be good to eat as a family again. They had missed each other no matter how much none of them might admit it.