Now, as she sat at the table, that training revealed itself effortlessly. Her knife and fork moved with precision, each motion controlled and graceful as she sliced through the lamb with practiced ease.

It wasn’t something she appeared to think about; it simply came to her, as natural as breathing. And that was exactly what caught her brothers’ attention.

Though their heads had been lowered moments ago, avoiding Apollo’s silent plea, it didn’t mean they had stopped observing her. From the corners of their eyes, they watched quietly and carefully.

One by one, their brows lifted in subtle surprise. There was something striking about the way she carried herself, a quiet elegance that bordered on regal. It didn’t feel learned so much as ingrained, as if she had lived this kind of life countless times before. And yet, she was supposed to have lost her memories.

The contradiction only deepened their curiosity.

Still, none of them spoke. Seeing her eat, truly eat, with focus and a hint of enjoyment, was enough for now.

So they remained silent, their attention lingering on her in subtle glances, choosing observation over questions as they watched her piece together herself in ways none of them fully understood.

Ashley remained absorbed in her meal, her attention fixed solely on the food before her. She didn’t notice the weight of her brothers’ gazes, nor the girl’s stunned expression, her lips parted, frozen in disbelief.

The girl had long convinced herself that Ashley was nothing more than a backwater orphan their brothers had dragged home out of obligation. After all, if they had searched for years without finding her in any major city, didn’t that mean she must have been living somewhere remote?

Somewhere cut off from the world like mountains, perhaps, or an isolated village where signals were weak, news traveled slowly, and refinement was a luxury no one bothered with. In the girl’s mind, that assumption had been enough to dismiss Ashley entirely.

But the reality before her shattered that illusion.

Watching Ashley dine with such effortless grace, every movement precise, every gesture composed, the girl felt her jaw tighten, her teeth grinding faintly as irritation crept in.

What unsettled her most wasn’t just Ashley’s poise, but how naturally it drew attention. Without trying, Ashley had already begun to pull the brothers’ focus away, and that, more than anything, ignited a quiet resentment she struggled to conceal.

Apollo, for his part, had long since stopped seeking help from the others. His gaze now rested fully on Ashley, sharp with scrutiny and something bordering on disbelief.

He hadn’t intended to underestimate her, but he had made assumptions all the same. Given the circumstances of her disappearance, their mother fleeing with her to escape danger, it had seemed logical to think they had hidden somewhere remote, far from cities, and far from attention.

A quiet life in some secluded village or deep in the mountains would have been the safest option, a place where news and communication were scarce enough to keep enemies at bay.

Because of that, Apollo had prepared himself. He had expected awkwardness from her because she wouldn’t know how to use the utensils and would feel a lack of familiarity with their world.

He had even been ready to step in, cut her food for her if needed, arrange for an etiquette tutor later on, anything to ease her transition before formally reintroducing her into their circle.

But now, watching her, he realized just how unnecessary those concerns had been.

Ashley’s dining etiquette was flawless, refined to a degree that even surprised him. There was no hesitation, no uncertainty in her movements. Only quiet, practiced elegance, as if this world had never been unfamiliar to her at all.

And for the first time, Apollo found himself genuinely at a loss, not because she fell short of expectations, but because she had exceeded them so completely.

A quiet understanding seemed to pass between Apollo, Daemon, Archivalt, Gage, and Ace as their thoughts converged on the same person.

Their mother.

Almost instinctively, they gave small, approving nods, the conclusion settling easily in their minds. If Ashley had been with her all those years, then there was nothing strange about this at all.

It would only make sense. Their mother had once been the pride of high society, the very embodiment of grace and elegance, a woman whose presence alone commanded admiration. If anyone could instill such refinement so deeply that it became second nature, it would be her.

With that, their earlier doubts began to fade. There was no need to question Ashley’s past so closely, no need to pick apart the inconsistencies. Even if she had lost her memories, habits shaped under their mother’s guidance would not simply disappear.

They would linger, etched into muscle and instinct, surfacing in moments like this without conscious thought. And so, reassured by that belief, they let the matter rest, content to accept that what they were seeing now was not surprising at all, but rather exactly what should have been expected.

A flicker of excitement stirred within Apollo as he watched her. If this was what Ashley revealed so effortlessly, then what else was she capable of?

Their mother had never been an ordinary woman — beauty, elegance, talent... she had possessed them all in such overwhelming measure that even now, the memory of it felt almost unreal.

It was the kind of allure that had driven men to madness, enough for one in particular to rally families against theirs into conflict just to seize her, despite the fact that she already had children of her own.

That was the extent of her charm, undeniably dangerous and unforgettable. Even after bearing so many children, she had only grown more captivating, her presence refined rather than diminished.

With a mother like that, and a father of equal strength, it was only natural to expect their children to inherit something extraordinary. And now, seeing Ashley, Apollo found that expectation sharpening into certainty.

The thought consumed him so completely that he no longer spared a glance for the girl at his side, who continued trying to draw his attention. If she wished to eat, she could sit wherever she pleased; the staff would attend to her.

If not, she was free to leave. It no longer mattered. Without realizing it, Apollo straightened, resuming his own meal with quiet refinement, his focus wholly claimed.

And he wasn’t the only one.

The brothers’ attention had settled entirely on Ashley, drawn to her in a way that was both subtle and undeniable. They had missed her childhood, her growth, the countless moments that should have been theirs to witness.

Now that she was here, seated before them, they couldn’t help but watch and want, perhaps a little desperately, to make up for lost time by learning who she had become in all the years she had lived beyond their reach.

The brothers watched as Ashley finished her meal, and there was something unexpectedly satisfying in the way she ate with quiet focus, yet with an unmistakable appetite.

For reasons none of them bothered to question, it seemed to stir their own hunger as well. One by one, they returned to their plates, the atmosphere at the table subtly shifting and becoming lighter, almost... content. It was a rare ease, the kind that had long been absent in their lives.