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Do you know,she whispered,I would have never imagined you could be so impossibly sweet.

There was a pause before the marquis said,I’m certain you mean well, milady, but your words make me sound like a...boy who had just pleased his Mama.

Oops.Swallowing back a giggle at the faint distaste in his voice, she said,Sorry.

He sighed.You could have simply gushed about my manhood, you know.

Milord!

Another sigh.Ilie, ma lisse. Can you not be more used to calling me that?

She bit her lip.I’ll t-try. Ilie.

Thank you...Soleil.

Her toes curled hard. Oh dear God, how was it that simply hearing the marquis murmur her name was such an undeniable pleasure?

Even after mentally bidding each other farewell, the pleasure remained with her. In the shower, it was the same, Soleil unable to stop replaying the sound of his voice in her mind.

And so it continued for the rest of her morning. Over breakfast or while riding the carriage to ANEX, her thoughts were completely consumed by the marquis.

She only consciously pushed them to the back of her mind when she entered Crystal’s office. This woman deserved her complete attention above all else.

“I owe you my life, Crystal.” Soleil hugged the older woman tightly. “I don’t know how to make it up to you, but whatever you need, I promise...”

Crystal drew away laughingly as Soleil sniffed back her tears. “Is this really you, blubbering like a fool?” But her misty gaze was proof that she wasn’t as unaffected as she pretended to be. Waving to the couch, she said, “Go sit down and tell me how it happened.”

“What do you want to know?”

Taking out several canisters from her cupboard, Crystal said, “The heartkeeping, for one. I thought you were against it?”

“I was.”

Crystal nodded understandingly. Any kind of union with a demon was detestable, after all. “Then you tricked the demon into it?”

“Oh, no. I d-didn’t have to. You see, at first, I had planned to die rather than trap the marquis into a forced union with me. But then when I lay dying in his arms, he told me...he loved me.”

Crystal stilled. “And you believed him?”

“Not just that,” Soleil said shyly. “Actually, I love him, too, and...w-we want you to be our godmother in our wedding, if you are fine with that.” She bit her lip. “I know you do not think much about his kind, but he is only half-demon—-”

Crystal’s fingers shook as she reached for another canister in the cupboard, one that was hidden all the way in the back, behind taller jars and bottles.

“And if you give him a chance, I truly believe you will see he is not that...bad,” Soleil finished awkwardly. She held her breath when Crystal turned towards her, bearing a tray of drinks, and exhaled in relief when she saw the resigned smile on the older woman’s face.

“If it is what you say...” Crystal sat down across her and offered Soleil a cup of tea. “Then perhaps I do need to meet him.”

“You’ll like him,” Soleil said earnestly. “I’m sure of it.” After taking a sip of her sea, she lowered the cup back to the table, asking slowly, “But you know...you never did tell me how you managed to acquire the knowledge about my curse.”

“I made a trade.” Crystal’s tone was light. “Of useless things that I hold on to but have little value in the world.” Before Soleil could ask more questions, her former instructor changed the subject, asking about her thoughts on Zari.

Over an hour had passed by the time Soleil left Crystal’s office, her mood even better because now she had secured the older woman’s promise to give Ilie a chance. Everything was going so smoothly, it was almost scary. She pinched her own cheeks, just to be sure she hadn’t lost herself in another nightmare, and was reassured by the pain she felt.

She went to Zari’s dormitory next. Knocking on the girl’s door, she said, “Zari?”

“Soleil?” The door opened completely. “Please come in.”

Once inside her student’s bedroom, she looked around her in appreciation. “You’ve got a good eye for decorating, Zari.”