Chapter 168: Aiden’s Diplomacy
AIDEN POV
I stepped forward before anyone else could react, placing myself between the strange Fae being and Lily.
"Wait," I said strongly. "Before anyone claims anyone as family, we need to establish exactly who we’re dealing with and what authority you have here."
The old Fae tilted her head, looking amused. "A minister. How nice. Very well, young Alpha. I am Lady Seraphina, First of the High Court, grandmother to Queen Titania herself."
My blood went cold. I’d heard whispers of Lady Seraphina in the oldest diplomatic papers. She was older than most countries, more powerful than entire armies, and apparently hadn’t been seen in a thousand years. "With respect, Lady Seraphina," I said carefully, "that doesn’t explain why you’re calling Lily your granddaughter."
"Doesn’t it?" She smiled, and starlight seemed to dance in her eyes. "Tell me, child," she said to Lily, "what do you know of your grandmother’s family line?"
Lily looked confused. "My grandma was human. She died when I was little. She taught me about healing plants, but she never mentioned anything about being Fae."
"Because she didn’t know," Lady Seraphina said softly. "My daughter chose love over life many generations ago. She gave up her Fae nature to marry a human man, and her descendants forgot their true ancestry."
"That’s impossible," Prince Ash argued. "Fae blood doesn’t just disappear."
"It doesn’t disappear," Lady Seraphina agreed. "It sleeps. Waiting for the right circumstances to awaken. Usually, it takes strong emotional trauma combined with exposure to dimensional magic."
She looked straight at Lily. "Both of which you experienced when you sacrificed yourself to become a Guardian."
I could see everyone processing this knowledge, but I focused on the diplomatic implications. If Lily was part Fae, it changed everything about the jurisdiction problems.