(A/N: Sorry for the slower pace, it’s about time the rest of the cast gets more of their own development instead of just being background.)

The evening stretched on, the three of us trading barbs and half-truths over the cold spread that none of us were really eating. Lillian had stopped blushing eventually, though she kept shooting Evelina looks that were equal parts irritation and grudging respect.

Surprisingly, she hadn’t left the moment she had delivered the message.

If I didn’t know any better, it almost looked like she was going to stay the entire night in our estate just to continue arguing with Evelina.

"You’re not going to tell anyone, are you?" Lillian asked finally.

"Tell anyone what?" Evelina’s voice was innocence itself, which meant she was absolutely planning to use this information at the worst possible moment.

"I hate you."

"No, you don’t."

"I really, really do."

"You keep saying that. One day, you might even mean it."

"You already know I mean it... well, at least in the past."

"Did you actually warm up to me?"

"I’d be lying if I said I didn’t, it’s not like you’re still going around terrorizing me all the time anymore."

I leaned back in my chair, letting their bickering wash over me. The amulet against my chest had gone quiet, its hunger sated for now. The hydra’s minds slumbered, dreaming of calculations I couldn’t follow.

Right now, nothing else mattered. Enjoying the time we had for now before engaging in one of the novel’s biggest arcs was the only correct move I could make.

I was here to live my life with her after all, not to become a hero and save the world. My ambitions weren’t that high.

Unless, of course, she wanted to become a god. Then maybe I’ll be more ambitious as well.

Tonight, I watched two of the most dangerous women on the continent argue about their sex life and felt something that might have been peace despite everything.

"You’re quite a daring girl, Lillian." She stood, circling the table to stand behind my chair. Her hands settled on my shoulders, warm through the fabric of my shirt. "Might even give the two of us a run for our money."

"Y-You... it was just a one-time thing, okay!?"

Her thumbs dug into the knots at the base of my neck, and I exhaled despite myself. The tension that had been building for three days, for weeks, for months, began to loosen under her touch.

Lillian watched us with an expression I couldn’t quite read. "You two are actually insufferable. But at least you two aren’t the evil kind of insufferable anymore. And I think I have you to thank for that, Arden."

"Well, it’s hard to think of evil things to do when you’re busy with romance," I replied.

Evelina shushed me before I could continue. "Evil is subjective. And Cael here isn’t exactly the most moral person either."

"Most people would just admit they’ve become good, you know?" Lillian arched an eyebrow. "But I suppose I expected that from you... y’know, it’s still hard to believe that before Cael arrived, we were almost equals."

"And now I’ve risen above your league," Evelina said with a smirk.

"As much as I hate to admit it... yes."

Lillian stood, glancing toward the window. The light had shifted, the evening fading toward almost midnight. And she knew that Julius would be wondering what had kept her so long.

"I should go," she said.

"It was nice talking to you." Evelina’s voice was soft, almost warm.

"Yeah..." Lillian paused at the door, looking back. "Same to you."

The door clicked shut behind Lillian, and the dining room fell quiet.

Evelina’s hands were still on my shoulders, her thumbs pressing slow circles into the muscle. The warmth of her palms seeped through my shirt, grounding me in the present.

"She’s changed," I said.

"We’ve all changed." Evelina leaned down, her lips brushing my ear. "That’s what happens when the world keeps trying to kill you."

I caught her wrist and pulled her around the chair, guiding her onto my lap. She came willingly, her legs draping over the armrest, her arms looping around my neck.

"The archmage was right about one thing," I said. "I’ve been so obsessed with the past that I’m not paying attention enough to my own."

"You’re referring to your constant separation solutions?"

"Maybe."

Evelina’s fingers traced the line of my jaw, feather-light.

"You’re a fixer, Cael. You see something broken, and you want to fix it. I love that about you. But some things aren’t broken. They’re just... different."

"And by fixer, you mean?"

"You want to turn someone and ’fix’ them to turn into my perfect pawn."

I kissed her.

Deep and slow, tasting the wine she’d been drinking, feeling the steady beat of her heart against my chest. Her fingers curled into my hair, holding me there like she was afraid I might disappear.

When I pulled back, her lips were red, her eyes half-closed.

"Bedroom," she murmured.

"Finally, and here I thought I had to go to bed myself while you and Lillian argued."

***

The next morning came too fast.

I woke to grey light filtering through the curtains and the empty space beside me where Evelina should have been. The sheets were still warm, her scent still on the pillow, but she was gone.

I found her on the terrace, wrapped in a silk robe, watching the sun struggle to break through the clouds.

"You’re up early," I said, leaning against the doorframe.

"Couldn’t sleep."

"Worried?"

"Thinking." She turned to face me, and I saw the weight she’d been carrying, the fear she’d been hiding behind her sharp words and sharper smiles. "About today. About what happens if we fail."

"That won’t happen."

"Sigh. I know we’ve done a lot to prepare. I doubt even the church expects us to bring a literal frozen warhead straight to their doorstep. But still... why the hell did they have to specifically target dark magic users?" Evelina said.

"Because they’re idiots?"

"Idiocy would be an understatement. I wouldn’t even be surprised if your father and mine somehow showed up to help."

"You think that’s possible?"

"Most likely."

She looked at me for a long moment, her crimson eyes searching mine for something I couldn’t name. Then she crossed the terrace and pressed her forehead against my chest.

"Hold me," she said. "Just for a minute, the weather’s colder than I expected."

I wrapped my arms around her and held on.

The minutes stretched, the sun climbing higher, the clouds burning off one by one. Somewhere in the distance, a bell tolled, marking the hour.

"Just... don’t try to sell yourself too hard to my father if he does appear," she said finally, pulling back. "He already thinks you’re a decent partner."