♀? (( thought it was fair LOL,,, but yes would like to know more about his mom pls ))
She oughtn’t have insisted he attend this gala, Yvonne realized, watching with dismay as Stephanivien drained yet another glass of wine. And why had she insisted in the first place? Because he was her husband’s heir, because his presence at such affairs was proper... and yet. And yet he was miserable, tucked into a forgotten corner where none would spot him, none would pester him.
The Countess de Haillenarte reflected, not for the first time, upon her imperfect understanding of her eldest son: she knew him, knew how to read his shifting moods even when he worked so hard to conceal them; she knew his passions lay far beyond Ishgard’s social games and intrigues. ‘Twas she who had encouraged Baurendouin to allow him to remain at the Skysteel Manufactory as a boy, when her husband would have all but set a guard upon him to bar him from the place - she’d seen it, the way he came to life with his mind so full of mechanical minutiae.
She’d known.
And yet ‘twas she who kept pulling him away now, back to these stifling parties and banquets, as though she somehow anticipated he might change, might someday wish to be a part of the society he’d been born to! Madness, proper madness, when he’d shown no hint of changing, never.
With a sigh, she made her way across the crowded floor to his side, plucking the wine glass from his hand and rising onto her toes to kiss his cheek. “Go,” Yvonne said, gesturing toward the doors. “You have put in your obligatory appearance, love; I’m quite appeased, I assure you - now go.”
His smile was a mingling of pleased surprise and sheepish relief - but he returned her kiss, bending over to brush his lips against her cheek. “My thanks, Mama.”
And then he hurried away, not needing to be urged in the slightest.
