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I opened my mouth to disagree, but Isa held up her hand and continued, “Don’t deny it. You’re falling in love. It’s obvious from the way you look at him. And I know you don’t want to hear this. But please be careful, Nepheli. They don’t call him the Prince of Broken Hearts for no good reason.”

19

Nepheli

Isa sprung her little enigma on me and left me to drown in my questions.

Physically, I was exhausted, but my mind didn’t want to rest. It reeled from one wild scenario to another as I locked myself in the adjoining bathroom to wash this horrible day off of me.

They don’t call him the Prince of Broken Hearts for no good reason.

Apollo was far from the heart-eating monster the papers described, but he still must have done something to deserve such a cruel title. But what? And why shouldIbe careful? He and I were just… traveling companions, after all. Maybe I didn’t want him to get eaten by a demon, but that didn’t mean I cared about him. Okay, I cared a little, but not romantically. And, yes, I did find him insanely attractive and charming and thrilling to be around, and the skin would probably melt right off my bones if he ever tried to—

“Get yourself together, girl,” I snarled to myself in the mirror that faced the bathtub. I looked flushed and wild-eyed, neck-deep in bubbles. I released a breath and started rinsing myself off, curiosity still gnawing at me.

Walder had claimed that Apollo kept a distance from his family to spare their feelings, but surely there had to be another reason as well. Apollo was looking for something. I’d known it from the moment he’d walked into the Shop. He’d kept asking about mystery boxes and other Curiosity Shops that might carry them. But what could a mystery box obtain that would interest Apollo so much? A cure, perhaps? Could there be a cure? I supposed that depended on what kind of curse it was. Was it witch-made? Or was it from the gods? And most importantly, what had he done to deserve such a horrible punishment?

The questions were like needles pricking me from the inside, and the fact that Apollo was going to put me on a ship tomorrow morning and I would leave Thaloria without ever obtaining the answers only made my curiosity sharper. It was nearly unbearable.

Hours later, I got dressed and ventured out of my bedroom to find the moon high in the sky, dangling over the manor like a bright, silver spotlight.

I meandered around the whimsical, overflowing rooms until I discovered a library, dark and tremendous, with floor-to-ceiling cherrywood shelves and enormous upholstered armchairs. I spent what felt like an hour in there, scanning Isa’s impressive collection of potion-making books, until I spotted one of Rya Ellison’s Encyclopedias, which I had read all except for the one in front of me—a complete and extensive catalogue of demons, creatures, and the fairy folk. These types of books were always mysteriously missing from our local libraries and bookstores back home, and even my magical bookcase couldn’t recreate something exactly like them. Magic was often too stubborn to leave the North, even in the form of simple information.

I tucked it under my arm and went on a mission to find the kitchen. A cup of tea and a little bit of reading in front of a cozy fire would soothe my mind enough to even salvage the day.

It was strange to think that I almost died this morning, and now I was thinking about tea. Life had such a funny way of becoming marvelous or unbearable, only to fall back into its usual rhythms as if nothing of consequence had happened at all.

As I crossed the abounded with curiosities foyer for the second time, I started to suspect that Isa was managing this entire estate with the use of magic alone, as there were no maids or butlers around to ask for directions. A secluded life indeed, but certainly not one devoid of color and whimsy.

I entered another room, still searching for the kitchen, which ended up being Isa’s private study, judging from the massive worktable in the center crawling with ominous-looking black grimoires and spiraling vials containing mysterious pink liquids.

Not wanting to impose, I backed out and continued my exploration toward the other side of the manor.

At last, I heard the soft murmur of voices from inside a room and quickened my steps.

The voices got louder and angrier.

Then, I heard my name and froze mid-step.

“Gods, Apollo, I can’t believe you brought this girl here. What were you thinking? Nepheli could have died today!” Isa shouted.

I pressed my back against the wall next to the half-opened door and watched as the light leaked out in the hallway with my heart pounding so avidly inside my chest that I was terrified they’d hear it.

“You think I don’t know that? You think I don’t realize the consequences of my actions? I’m heartless, not a fucking idiot! But what was I supposed to do, huh?” Apollo’s voice thundered, harsher than ever. “Fuck up her whole life and abandon her to pick up the pieces?”

“You shouldn’t have fucked up her life to begin with. You were supposed to be more careful. After seven years, youought tobe more careful!” There was a pause. A moment of realization. Then, in a panic, “Unless you did it on purpose. Oh gods.Oh gods!Did you destroy her Shop on purpose?”

My heart stopped. I felt myself go numb. The bodice of my dress seemed to tighten around my sternum, cutting off my oxygen until everything around me spun.

“You honestly think I would do that?” Apollo snarled.

“Yes,” Isa hissed. “Gods, I swear, Apollo, if you break this poor girl’s heart just to—”

“I won’t!”

Isa scoffed. “As if you haven’t considered it already!”

“Ihaveconsidered it, damn it! I have! But that doesn’t mean I will act—”