Page 126 of Of Flames and Fallacies

“Oh. I’m so sorry to hear that, Celeste,” I say, and I mean it. No matter who endures it, the loss of a parent is devastating. Something I still wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.

She dips her head. “Thank you. He left me with a lot of money…and I just don’t feel right keeping it to myself. I don’t feel I deserve it. I have more than enough for a comfortable life, and I know there are so many people in this kingdom scraping by.”

“Is that why you feel obligated to get a dress for me?” I ask impulsively.

“No.” She chuckles with a wink. “I have other reasons.”

Cole. Of course it’s because of Cole. She wants to impress or perhaps befriend me, so that she might get closer to Cole.

We stop at a shop front, and the shopkeeper welcomes us in, hugging Celeste and kissing each of her cheeks before introducing herself to me. The shopkeeper ushers us back to a private table, away from the wide windows facing the streets. She doesn’t even bother to ask me or Celeste what we want. Moments later, she delivers several dishes piled high with sugar-dusted pastries, a tea kettle, and teacups.

Celeste has definitely been here more than a few times.

“You’ll love the tea here. It’s divine,” Celeste says as she mixes sugar into her teacup with a silver spoon. She pours me a cup.

I’ve never had tea. It was one of those things we weren’t able to afford, but I knew a lot of the wealthy ladies drank it. When I lift the cup to my lips to sip the hot tea I try to school my features. But my nose wrinkles as I swallow the first sip, giving me away. It tastes like…hot, dirty water with flowers in it.

She laughs. “You don’t like tea, do you?”

I try to clear my throat. For the first time, I’m honest with her. “No.”

She smiles and offers me a pastry instead. “How about pastries?”

“That I do, thank you.” I grin and take a bite of the pastry. The sugary treat is easily the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted.

Celeste tilts her head to the side, watching me. “Do you mind if I call you sister?”

A cough steals my breath at her abrupt question. Luckily, my mouth is full, granting me extra time to respond.

Her eyes widen before shifting down to her cup in embarrassment. “Sorry, sorry. Far too forward of me. Pleaseforgive me. I just…I know how close you are to your brother. I didn’t have that, and admittedly, I’ve always yearned for it.”

I nod slowly and swallow the bite of pastry. “It’s okay. I get it.”

She peers up at me through her dark lashes. “You do?”

Now I’m fumbling for some sort of parallel to offer. I think of how close I used to be to my own brother before he died. Aside from your typical sibling bickering, I had always been close to my brother.

So I offer her a half-truth. “I’m not very close…to my sister. We’ve always been at odds with one another. I used to think she was jealous of how close I was to Cole and that was why she never liked me.”

I wondered if Vivian knew her brother was engaged to someone else other than me. If I know her as well as I think, she’s relieved at the fact. Not to mention if he’s marrying into such a wealthy family, she’ll revel in the opportunity for dress shopping, tea, and pastries.

Celeste sighs and looks at her hands. “I relate to that, too. Except I’ve always been the jealous one.”

“What do you mean?” I ask as I attempt another sip of tea.

“Darian and Edith have always been so close. I’ve always been the outlier.”

I swallow, nearly spewing the tea out of my mouth. “You’re—you’re Darian’s sister?”

She meets my gaze with arched eyebrows. “You didn’t know?”

I shake my head. “I know he has a sister in a coma?”

“Yes. Edith.” She frowns. “Her and Darian were so close when she was awake. Inseparable, even. He had always been the prime big brother to her. I suppose I’m not too surprised he never mentioned me.”

But how do I tell her Darian never mentioned Edith, either? Hadn’t mentioned any of his family. Or really anything abouthimself. Ever. The only facts I knew about him were shared by other people.

Celeste goes on, “He hardly considers me his sister. Most of the time he excuses the term. I’ve given up on reminding him that being half-siblings shouldn’t mean our relationship is any different than his and Edith’s.”

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