Page 178 of Emylia

“I’ve been here,”she said with a shrug, not bothering to swat his hand away. “Just doing all the boring things while you two trade off guarding Emylia and the rest of us.” She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, her mouth twitching like she was trying not to grin. Her tone was light, but there was a flicker of something beneath it–something that made me feel like she wasn’t entirely joking.

A pang struck me—sharp and fast.

She was right. I’d been so wrapped up in my magik, that I hadn’t stopped to think how exile must’ve felt for her. She hadn’t done anything wrong. And yet she’d been banished, too—left behind in someone else’s home, with her siblings and her mother, while the rest of us disappeared for hours in secrecy.

“I’m sorry.”

The table stilled.

All eyes turned to me—wide, disbelieving—as if they’d just watched the sky split open and rain down shattering stardust.

I reached for a piece of bread, tearing it absently between my fingers before handing the end to one of the twins as she zipped past with sticky hands and wild laughter.

“It’s not your fault you’re here,”I said quietly. “It’s mine.”

Evie tilted her head, then gently nudged a bowl of figs toward me with one finger. The fire popped behind us, a sharp crack like bones breaking in the hearth, and its warmth curled along my spine. Somewhere above, a firefly floated down from the rafters, flickering once, then twice—like the air itself had paused to listen.

“Technically, it’s not your fault.”

I blinked, tearing my gaze from the bread in my hand. “What do you mean?”

“We were sent here to keep us all safe. Like some invisible prison, sealed behind Aunty Belle’s wards.”

Fucking unbelievable.

I turned to Sebastian, glaring.

“She knew?” Then back to her. “They toldyou?”

Even Sebastian looked stunned. Speechless—for once in his life.

Evie just smiled, calm and unbothered. She popped a honeyed fig into her mouth, chewed slowly, then swallowed like she had all the time in the world.

“No one told me. I just pay attention. No one walks away from the wounds Aunt Belle heals. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out she’s a magik wielder.”

That was something I’d only discovered yesterday.

“Ouch,”I muttered, brushing a flake of salt off my lap, suddenly aware of how quiet the hall had gone again.

“Well, it doesn’t,”she said, still somehow gentle. “It also explains why you live all the way out here. If anyone found out, there’d be retribution. Magik isn’t accepted the way it once was.”

Damn.

Sebastian toyed with the handle of his mug but didn’t drink. The firelight caught in the gold flecks of his eyes as he glanced sideways at Evie, then down again.

“Maybe you were too close to see the signs.” Her words held no venom—she was still protecting me, still cushioning the truth. “Or maybe you were just too busy learning how to wield weapons.”

My mouth dropped open.

“You’re kidding.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve never told anyone. And I never will.” She hesitated. “Although... I’m honestly not sure how it’s not public knowledge. You’d have to be blind—or an idiot—not to see it.”

Wow.

I was getting absolutely annihilated by my cousin’s uncanny perception.

I stared at her—reallystared—and saw something I hadn’t noticed before.

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