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Marigold bounced over to the rest of her discarded toys and began picking them up one by one.

She could never stand still for too long.

“Okay! And that means Mia gets to stay too.” Mia stopped sniffing at my ankles at the sound of her name.

Her ears perked up, and she trotted over to Clarissa and Marigold.

I licked my lips, sharing another look with Clarissa.

We’d spent the last few evenings alone together dreaming of the future.

I listened to her talk about her empire, of all the provinces and their magic and the sights she wanted to show us.

I hung onto her every word, to the way her voice sped up in excitement when she mentioned her friends or the little cottage she grew up in, how a smile peeked at the corners of her lips when she spoke of the south sector that was so close to her heart.

The schools, the food, the colors and sounds of Veridia City.

She made it come alive. She made what our life could be like feel real.

I’d been avoiding the subject with Marigold all week, but I supposed there would never be a perfect time.

Clarissa seemed to understand, for she eased up onto her feet and stretched. “I’m going to go get ready for dinner,” she said. “Mia, let’s go, girl!” Mia bounded to her, her tail wagging back and forth across the floor.

When they crossed the room, Clarissa brushed the side of her hand against me and wrapped her pinky around mine for a split second—what had become our way of silently giving strength. Of saying “ I’m here ,” even when we couldn’t always be .

“Marigold, sweetheart, why don’t you come here for a second?” I asked once the door shut behind them, taking a seat at the foot of Marigold’s bed.

With a little dance, she plopped next to me, scooting closer with her doll in hand.

I’d been thinking about this conversation for a while, but sitting here with her made the words a thousand times harder. “Do you remember how sometimes we talk about your mommy?” I began, my voice hoarse.

She nodded as she patted the doll’s hands together. “Yes. And we talk about magic and how she watches us from the stars and loves us very much,” she said all in one breath.

“That’s right. I know you don’t remember much about her, but she took such good care of us. And I will always have love for your mommy. I think about her every day, and how much you look like her. Did you know that?”

Her eyes grew wide. “I do?”

An ache formed in my chest. I brushed back a piece of her hair and curled it around my finger.

“You do. She had this same brown hair, and those same big brown eyes. Darker than mine, see?” I leaned down, and she lifted a finger to poke my cheek.

“I miss her, just like I’m sure you do. But our hearts are so big that it’s possible to have that much love for someone else too. ”

“You mean Rissa?”

I cocked my head. Perceptive little girl .

“Yes, I mean Rissa.” I paused, waiting to see if she would say more.

“I love her very much, Marigold. And she loves you and me both. She wants to be in our lives for longer than just this tour. That’s why she’s asked if we would come live with her in the Veridian Empire. ”

She drank in my words, a small crease appearing between her eyes as she mulled the idea over. “So we’d be…leaving our home? We wouldn’t be here anymore?”

I nodded, moving to kneel in front of her so I could see her face.

“That’s right. But there’s so much to see in the empire.

You’d get to live in a palace, since Rissa is Empress.

We can decorate your new room however you like, and you’d see Mia every day.

You’ll make so many new friends, and Rissa even said there’s a school nearby in Veridia City you could go to soon. ”

My usual exuberant, wears-her-heart-on-her-sleeve daughter was now expressionless. Her head tilted to the side as she peered down at me. She looked far beyond her seven years of life.

I grabbed her little hands. “Look, sweetheart, I know there have been a lot of changes lately. I know change can be scary. I’m a little scared too. But we’ve always gotten through it, haven’t we? We’re a team, you and I. We always will be. And we can do scary things together.”

“I don’t think I’m scared, Daddy. It’s just…I’m kind of sad.” She rubbed her chest with the heel of her hand. “I’ll miss my room. And my friends. And Grandma.” Her bottom lip puckered in a small pout.

“I know you will.” I pulled her off the bed and set her on my knee as I crouched on the ground. “It’s okay to be sad.”

Resting her head on my shoulder, she twined a lock of my hair around her finger. “But I think I love Rissa too. She’s nice. And pretty. And she makes you smile.”

I struggled to take in a breath through the emotion clogging my throat. “Yes. Yes, she does.”

She looked up at me, and while I could still see the hesitancy there, could still see sadness swirling at the surface, she managed to bring a gap-toothed grin to her face. “She makes me smile too.”