These Quiet Moments

He studied Mariah’s face, taking in her words but ultimately deciding to follow through with her request to know more about him. "She's my grandmother," Caedes began, his tone shifting to a more solemn, soft one. "Though not by blood, she raised my father, who followed in her footsteps as a healer." Pausing briefly, Caedes considered the complexity of his familial ties and how it might sound strange to this girl that meant very much to him. His smile turned into a forced one, his voice betraying a bit of enmity as he continued. "As for my parents, they reside in Saffron, the empire of my birth. However, our relationship is distant, save for my grandmother, Astrid. Despite not being of the Saxe lineage, she was the one who truly raised me." What was he supposed to feel for his mother, who was barely affectionate, and his father, who had gone and broken himself?