Chapter 3

The next day, I went alone to the Silver Deer Merchant Guild's main branch.

I wore a hood and placed my adult identity token and the ten tickets on the verification platform. The clerk confirmed the magic sigils in the corners and led me into a windowless payment room.

The guild deducted the agreed twenty percent royal lottery tax and deposited eight hundred thousand gold into my private vault.

The confidentiality contract burned to silver ash in front of me.

"No one but you has the right to access this," the clerk said, sliding a vault key toward me.

I held the key in my fist and didn't let go for a long time.

At the height of the Ashbourne family's fortune, the entire workshop's yearly net income hadn't been this much.

From this moment on, I would never have to endure anyone's scorn for next season's tuition.

On the way home, I bought myself a new wand.

Twelve inches, ash wood, core of frost falcon tail feather. No gemstones, but it felt steady in my hand.

I tried the simplest illumination spell.

A small cluster of silver light landed in my palm, like a quiet star.

Caspar didn't contact me that day.

He was probably still waiting for me to cave first.

Sybil did send a message asking if I was mad at her. I replied no, then turned off the message board.

When I pushed open the front door that night, I found all three of them sitting neatly by the fireplace.

My father held an unlit pipe. Lavinia's eyes were red. Sybil kept her head down.

"Evelyn, sit down," my father said. "Something's happened at home."

I didn't take off my cloak.

"What?"

The Ashbourne family ran a magic furniture workshop, making temperature-controlled wardrobes and self-organizing bookshelves for nobles. A recent batch of floating beds had defective runes. The orders were returned, and creditors were starting to pressure them.

Father said if they couldn't come up with seven thousand gold, the workshop would shut down.

"Your grandmother's old house has been empty for a long time." Lavinia walked over. "We checked. It's in a good location. It could sell for exactly seven thousand."

She took my hand.

"A family has to support each other. Once the workshop recovers, your father will definitely pay you back."

Her palm was warm, her tone kind.

But I remembered how she'd used that same tone when she urged me to move back after grandmother died.

"It's so lonely living there. Come back. Everyone will take care of you."

And then I started organizing Sybil's notes, fixing her rune homework, staying up until dawn with her when she was scared of exams.

As for my pain, no one had time to ask.

"Evelyn?" Father frowned. "The house is just sitting there wasting away. Do you really want to watch your family go bankrupt?"

I slowly pulled my hand free.

"We can talk."

All three faces relaxed at once.

Father set down his pipe. "I knew you were sensible—"

"Answer one question first." I cut him off. "If my house sale saves the workshop, how much of the inheritance share goes to me?"

A log popped in the fireplace.

Sybil's head snapped up.

The kindness vanished from Lavinia's face.

"We're family. How can you calculate it so coldly?"

"Then transfer the equivalent share to me at market price," I said. "Or have Sybil put up her property as collateral and sign a term loan agreement."

Father's expression darkened.

"Your sister is still young. Don't drag her into this."

She was only fifteen days younger than me.

I didn't say it.

Some answers didn't need to be asked twice.

The entire workshop had already been arranged for Sybil. They wanted to take my inheritance, protect her future, and still expected me to feel warm about it.

"I understand," I said.

I went upstairs and carried down the luggage I'd already packed.

Father stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching the suitcase in my hand. For the first time, there was a flicker of panic.

"Where are you going?"

"Back to grandmother's house."

"It was just a discussion. Is this really necessary?"

I walked past him.

At the door, he called after me.

"Evelyn, have you never truly forgiven me?"

Night wind blew through the entryway.

I turned and looked at him.

"Have you ever asked yourself what you need forgiveness for?"

He opened his mouth. No answer came.

I closed the door.