The Ogre Strength Fairy and the Eldest 'Son' Chapter 382 - Revealing The Secret, Part 2

Qatrand er Yecine would be lying to say that the cold sting in her chest from learning what her father thought was fully closed and ward. But it was much less distressing and painful to think about than it ever was - and beca less so every day that passed.

"There was an agreent between Anper er Yecine and Ondua er Goltbred. Marriage between firstborns. And Elua was essentially born for that purpose... so they needed a male to match her. At least according to a certain faction of my family’s thinking."

Wearing a wry smile, Qat thought again of sothing she had a ti or three before. In a certain manner of speaking, being anything other than a political marriage tool for the family’s benefit had been out of the question. If the Goltbred child had been male, she still may have been arranged for them...

But without all the subterfuge. Without all the Yecine training that she endured that made her who she was today. And especially without it being the cute girl that she loved so much. It was a ’what if’ scenario that she found ridiculous in so many directions.

’Especially the thought of wearing a dress. I simply cannot imagine ever enjoying that as much as my wife does.’

"Honestly, I wish I was telling her parents all this first. I’d been thinking of doing so when the war was over. But things have turned out this way instead."

The other person at the fire wasn’t feeling the sa sense of dark amusent at all.

"And you’ve lived with this... choice of theirs for... thirteen years now?"

"Fourteen in a little over a month. I believe this started the mont my wife was born."

The heavy blade wielder sighed, knowing she probably had already been slated to miss the girl’s birthday because of the strikeforce - but bringing it up now just made her realize that she now could not even send a gift back by courier. Leysah simply stared ’troubled’ into the fire as she worked through her own imaginings of a life lived in deception.

"That’s... most of your life, then. How do you even..."

It wasn’t sothing she felt she could understand. Helpless gesturing followed, the older woman clearly struggling with the concept of maintaining such a fundantal lie for so long. Towards so many people.

"In my case, I didn’t really think of anything other than doing as told for a long ti. I learned to think before I spoke. To move differently than felt natural at first. To respond to other’s assumptions instead of correct them. It becos... habitual."

"Elua knew and didn’t tell others. You’re sure?"

"I’m sure."

Pigeon blues softened when the past life disciple brought that up. It wasn’t strictly true - the girl slipped up repeatedly and did things to people that were questionable because of it. Qat still felt bad about the guilt she knew El was hiding, so deep, deep down.

"She was the first person who ever saw completely for what I was. The only person who didn’t ask to be any different than I wanted to be - but also challenged to keep thinking of what that was. Who never questioned whether I was worthy of... being loved as I am, at any point."

Years of emotion found a voice at the campfire. To say she never bragged about her spouse would be incorrect - but to really let her guard down and express her affection in these sort of tones to an *outsider* might be another ’first’. After all, she could usually only talk about her in very generic terms.

"My wife is remarkable and always has been. In ways that most people don’t even realize. In ways that those who do still can’t understand the real depth of. The fact that she thinks the sa thing of and always has... is my greatest source of pride."

Leysah listened intently. Not wanting to interrupt the tender outpouring, even if it made her uncomfortable in a strange way. Not from jealousy... but more like hearing soone talk *deeply* about an aunt. Though she wasn’t sure why that was her comparison.

"For a child to give another that kind of support sounds... precious."

"It was. It ant the world to and still does. She’s brilliant and powerful and kind. But she hides so much of herself. For good reason, in so cases. But when she thinks people wouldn’t like who she really is, she’s wrong."

The blonde Yecine ran her hand through her own hair, tugging on it as her low voice carried all her fondness. All her love... mixed with the underlying worry that had existed for so ti. Not for her spouse’s current safety, but for her greater emotional wellbeing.

"And you?"

"I’m sorry?"

"Is that... how you feel about what you’ve told ? Do you think most others would stop respecting you if you revealed your gender?"

A strong neck twisted side to side and shook the teenager’s head softly. The people whose opinions she really cared about were the sort of people that such a thing never would have mattered much in the first place. But she still thought she was right to withhold telling people.

"No. But it was never most people that I’m worried about. You know, Leysah... I never really wanted to be looked at as a hero. But my El... she sches and plans and manipulates situations just to make my life smoother at all levels. To help with the goals I’ve expressed to her."

The ache in Qat’s chest intensified as she spoke. Goals that she’d been helped with all this ti - and her wife wasn’t going to be around to see so of it happening.

"I wanted to keep the heirship in my family. I want to change my family from not just the patriarchal aspects, but from the way they look at strength. The way they look at raising their cultivators entirely."

After talking it through with the heiress repeatedly - who definitely stressed that seeing ’her fortress’ shining in front of everyone was partially selfish - they had settled on becoming ’too important to censure’. But it wasn’t an infallible plan... and the person that could best adjust it on the fly was now in another dinsion.

"Why ? Why tell any of this? If this ca out at the wrong ti or with the wrong spin on it... it could crumble your family’s standing for what they’ve done to you. Your marriage could be questioned, your heroic status undermined by scandal, and-"

"That’s why. Because you understand the weight of it. All of that and more can happen. Everything I’ve accomplished could be dismissed as the result of false pretenses... if I had no allies of my own."

’Elua certainly thinks it’s possible that even a few more firm voices can sway opinion. She’s usually right about... pretty much everything.’

"Alright. I understand. At least, I understand why you are choosing to tell . We’ll figure it out. You don’t have to carry this alone."

What seed like a simple, generic offer of support hit harder than Qat had expected. She felt sothing ease in her chest. Coincidentally, right around that old cold stab wound from her father’s words.

’She was right. Of course she was. I just didn’t take her seriously enough because she was making cute upset faces instead of real upset ones.’

The heiress had told her before that such a thing would only ’heal’ from sources outside of Qat herself. And outside of the little illusionist... who for all intents and purposes was far too wrapped up in the core of who the Yecine swordswoman had beco.

"Thank you. That... ans more than you know."

"Don’t thank yet. Thank when we’ve kept your enemies from using this against you."

Such a pragmatic response drew a small smile from the ’heir’. Even a short chuckle as they banked the fire so that the coals wouldn’t continue glowing through the night. Settling into their bedrolls, Qat found herself feeling lighter than she had in hours.

The woman sounded nothing like El in tone, felt nothing like her in spirit. But when she talked like that it reminded the teen of her spouse - which was as valuable as any kind of other support until the cute girl returned to her arms.