Sienna did a good job of ignoring her mother-in-law. Her eyes couldn’t help darting at Lord Marius. She had no memories of ever interacting with the man before now. He always seemed so noble...above everything. He certainly carried himself like that. But today, he rolled up his sleeves, grabbed a bucket of honey and got to work like the rest of the family.

"This honey is thicker than what you provided when I was served tea." He lifted the bucket and grunted, almost tripping over a stone. He wobbled for a bit before stabilizing himself.

Sienna nearly dropped a jar of honey from laughter. Grandpa Corven couldn’t help himself and he laughed.

"The dignified Lord Marius has rubbery legs!"

Lord Marius laughed. "I have never done manual labor before. There is a first time for everything."

The two elders struck up a casual conversation, comparing hunting techniques, observations on bees, and the status of the economy. As they talked, they casually ate some of the snacks from the basket of snacks and drinks that Sienna had told the servants to arrange on a blanket on the ground.

"How long does it usually take you all to harvest honey?" Lord Marius asked.

While grandpa Corven replied, Sienna’s eyes turned to her mother-in-law. The woman was sitting on the swing, face twisted like she had bitten into a sour plum. Nanny Fortunate was standing behind her, listening to the complaints Lady Cadelaria muttered. "Look at them! Laughing together as if I don’t exist. Even my husband is sniggering. I underestimated Chubby charms and her family. She has turned everyone against me!" she hissed, loud enough for Sienna and the nearest servants to hear.

Sienna pretended not to hear or notice that sour look. Although, she rolled her eyes so hard she nearly saw her brain. Lady Cadelaria had a talent for making everything overly dramatic.

As Sienna carried another bucket of honey, her mother-in-law let out a loud ’hmph.’ "A real matriarch of the fox tribe would be in her office at the headquarters dealing with the affairs of the females of the tribe. Not trying to win points with her father-in-law by making him carry buckets of honey."

Sienna snorted. "And the former matriarch of the fox tribe would have handed over the keys to that office as soon as a new matriarch arrived. I don’t need to win points with anyone because I am the favored child of the fox god. Maybe if you screamed a little less, you would be favored like me."

Some people laughed.

Even Lord Marius snorted.

After harvesting honey, they moved to the garden to harvest fresh strawberries, tomatoes and cabbages. Lord Marius was beyond thrilled to see the oversized crops. Lady Cadelaria on the other hand was sulking because her grandchildren were more interested in playing in the dirt than sticking by her side.

Just as they settled into the rhythm of harvesting, Liman came looking for Sienna. "Two investigators are looking for you. They are at the gates, we couldn’t let them in without your permission."

"And yet you let a certain fox woman inside." Sienna muttered. Huffing, she marched off to the entrance, her heart skipping nervously because she knew this was not a social visit.

The rest of the family wanted to follow, but Lord Marius stopped them, and went instead. He didn’t say a word, just stood two feet behind Sienna like her guard.

The two investigators were lion beast men. A male and female. The man stepped forward, nodding at Lord Marius with respect. When he looked at Sienna, that respect vanished, replaced with sternness. "Good morning Lady Sienna. We are here to investigate the death of the falcon lord and the four elders who perished with him in a fire. Records show he visited you twice, a day before the incident. We would like to know why."

Sienna touched her chest, sighing sadly. "I heard the news. It is such a terrible, terrible thing. The manufacturing company needs to provide answers on what went wrong with that ship. I am too afraid to fly now because of it." She leaned forward, eyes darting from sided to side. "Rumor has it that it was not an accident. Is it true? I am like second in charge of this city. You can trust me."

The lead investigator snorted. As expected of one of the most troublesome scandal ridden women in their kingdom. The second investigator looked above. "You are not livestreaming this, are you?"

Sienna hissed, lifting her shoulders. She gestured to the drone in the distance. "You caught me. I was about to start."

Lord Marius was stunned. Was she serious?

The lead investigator’s face turned grim. "Lady Sienna, this is not a joke. Five people are dead and we need to trace their last movements to rule out any claims of foul play. Moreover, one of the deceased is a beast lord. I hope that you take this matter more seriously."

Sienna nodded. "I am sorry." Her face fell, seeming very repentant. "I don’t think that it is a joke. Like you, I just wanted to give people some answers."

"That is not your job." The lead investigator said. "All you need to do is tell us why the falcon lord came to see you twice."

She nodded. "Of course. It is no secret that I have falcon relatives who moved in with me recently. My brother and I just discovered our lineage. Lord Edris wanted us to join the tribe. We were discussing the preparations for an ancestral recognition ceremony for my brother."

The second investigator raised her brows. "Is that why he came to see you twice?" 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

She nodded. "Well that and the new trade agreements with the fox tribe. He was hoping that I would smooth my way over with my husband in order to negotiate more favorable terms for the falcon tribe. He also wanted us to go into business together, selling honey. That was it. We were supposed to meet again today and finalize some of the details for the business." She sighed. "I can’t believe he is dead. One moment he was here and the next...." She stumbled backward. "Death is such a terrible thing."

The negotiators recorded her statement, observing every reaction. To their eyes, she didn’t seem to be lying.

Lord Marius applauded internally. His wife had married a very good actress!