Olivia sighed, her breath forming a soft cloud in the cold air. Her fingers flexed slightly, then tightened again at her sides.
"Oriana is doubtful." she said quietly. "She kept asking me questions on the way back. About why I mentioned Mother. About Evelyn. I gave her an excuse, but… she knows I'm hiding something. I want to tell her the truth."
"You can not tell anyone until we know who our enemies are!" Rhistel's brows furrowed. "What exactly did Evelyn say?"
"She said, 'Just like your mother', before she stopped herself. And then she left, angry. By her looks, she was hiding something. But how does she know about my mother at all? No one in the capital talks about her. No one even knows who she was."
Rhistel's face darkened subtly, his composed expression sharpening. "Our family… never leaked anything about witches. Not to anyone. That knowledge was buried intentionally."
"Then how—?" Olivia's voice shook slightly.
