Page 196 of Emylia

Her smile was instant. Fragile. Familiar. A ghost of the grin I’d missed more than I’d ever admit.

“What about them?”she asked, nodding toward the two looming bodies behind me.

I turned to glance at the boys—Sebastian already mid-smirk, Maalikai pretending not to listen but clearly catching every word.

“Technically, one of them is supposed to be guarding me,”I said. “So either we bring them along or ditch them. Your call.”

“Oh, we are definitely bringing them.”

“Excellent.”

I turned over my shoulder. “Boys! Give us a hand.”

Sebastian stepped forward, cautious but curious. “What’s going on?”

“Who’s in the mood for baking?” He just stared at me. “Perfect,”I grinned. “You’re on apple duty. And try not to fall behind.”

I linked my arm with Evie’s and tugged her down the path, leaving both boys to scramble after us with a shared look that said we’ve lost control of the day, haven’t we?

We reached the kitchen hall, arms full of apples, shoes damp with dew, and for once, I wasn’t thinking about duty or death or destiny. I was thinking about crumble.

“So what’s the plan?”Sebastian asked, eyeing the baskets like they might explode.

“Apple pie, obviously,”I said, dropping the fruit onto the wooden counter with dramatic flair. “Unless someone’s too scared to peel.”

“Peel? Please.”He rolled up his sleeves with a smirk. “I’ve faced warlords with less sass.”

Evie lingered near the door, her arms crossed tight.

“Are you sure we should be doing this? I don’t know if we’re even allowed in here without your mom or mine?—”

“Evie.”I raised a brow. “Have I ever cared about being allowed?”

She hesitated.

I threw her a wink.

“C’mon. Live a little.”

She sighed and stepped forward like she was bracing for battle. “Fine. But I’m following the recipe.”

“Absolutely not.”I grabbed a handful of flour and tossed it into the air like confetti. “This is chaos baking.”

She squealed and ducked, coughing as the white dust cloud exploded around us.

“Gods, Emylia—what is wrong with you?” But the delighted squeal that followed betrayed her.

“Oh no.”Sebastian’s voice was full of dread. “Not again.”

“Again?”Maalikai asked warily.

“There was a pudding incident,”Sebastian muttered.

“It was glorious,”I added. “Now grab a bowl—we’re having a pie-off.”

“A what?”Evie blinked.

“You and me versus them.”I pointed at Sebastian and Maalikai, who both looked like they were evaluating the structural integrity of the flour sacks.

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