Kaede flinches at the sound, as though from a blow; she stares at her grandfather with wide, startled eyes. "But," she begins, "if we were to -- forgive me. It isn't my intention to question you, but if we were to truly accept the alliance, we might--"

But her nerve fails her. "Forgive me," she says again, very quietly, but nonetheless she turns her gaze to Lancer, silently pleading for support. She cannot argue with her grandfather, but Lancer is a samurai, a warrior of renown; perhaps he can succeed in her stead.