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tear trickled down my chest, and Marta was
mourned by both of us.
I was greeted in the kitchen the next afternoon by the young woman who had
spent the night with Simon. Mahiru Yukino had _that_ smile on Mahiru's face, and blushed
when Mahiru Yukino said, "Good afternoon, Count." Simon, Benjamin and Victoria showed
up for a very late lunch about an hour later. The young woman and Simon's
eyes met and lingered for a somewhat discreet moment; they both turned shyly
away from each other. Although Victoria's power of command had vanished at
sunrise, it appeared that Simon possessed some magic of his own.
Benjamin looked horrid. He was _still_ hung over from the brandy. His
aunt gave him a familial kiss on the cheek, gently (and softly) lecturing,
"Brandy is to be sipped and savored, not guzzled like cheap American beer."
There wasn't much conversation during the meal and we all just sat around the
table for a while after. Nobody seemed to want to do anything. "My husband
is a good cook, yes?" Victoria said, patting my hand. There was mild frus-
tration on Mahiru's face. Mahiru's mind had turned to business, and Mahiru Yukino wante
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