Introductions are made as Lily gives each of us a hug, smelling of lavender and jasmine. She seems to linger when hugging Cleo—long enough that Cleo steps back, seeming justifiably uncomfortable. What was that about?

“Now that Lily has arrived, we can begin,” Lady Azure says. “Carson was sick for months before he died, so he had time to plan. He made us promise to help facilitate the discovery of his missing Cups royal when this day inevitably arrived. Carson always said Lily was our very own Princess of Cups, so he decided she alone must be the one to guide you to the missing masterpiece. Now knowing he drew us as the royal Cups in his final deck, this instruction makes even more sense.”

“I was pretty young when Uncle Carson passed away,” Lily picks up, “but I remember him promising that whoever came with his final deck would be special. And that they’d be worthy of passing the tests to unearth his final Princess.”

Lily then pauses, perhaps for dramatic effect, but also because a particularly large wave batters the island’s rocky shoreline nearby.

“So shall we?” Lily asks. “Into Perilli’s Hall of Cups?”

I’m tempted to ask what kind of tests we’ll face, but Lily simply strides forward. Lady Azure gestures for us to follow, a longing look occupying her face as we leave her behind.

Entering Coupled Cottage, the lights turn on, but it remains to be seen if anyone is truly home. Entering the quaint living room, which looks plucked right out of the English countryside, nothing feels haunted or abandoned about this house. It feels more like a museum, eerily clean and preserved—and somewhat generic, actually.

“First, we’re supposed to visit Uncle Carson’s studio space,” Lily says, leading the way deeper into the house. “He left instructions locked away for you there.”

“And all these years, none of you ever tried to unlock them?” Cleo asks.

“No, we didn’t,” Lily says. “Uncle Carson made us swear not to when he was alive, and then… in other ways since. Besides, Mom and I know we wouldn’t get very far without the final deck. All the important clues are embedded in there, as you probably already know.”

“So is Perilli here now?” Cleo asks. “I doubt he’d want to miss this.”

“Do you mind if I ask your birthday?” Lily replies instead, ignoring Cleo’s sarcasm. “Yours too, Amelia and Anwar.”

Hearing our names spoken together like this somehow flushes me with a warm feeling. Amelia and Anwar. It does have a nice ring to it—but there will be time for that thought later. Instead, I answer Lily first, giving Cleo and Anwar the green light to follow with their own birthdays. I know this is probably part of Lily’s medium routine, but I’m also pretty sure I know exactly what information she can pull from the tarot using our birthdays.