Etan beat us out into the main room, where Uncle Reid and Mother had their heads together and Aunt Jovana was smiling at them, seeming to admire their tenacity.

“Ah, here you are,” Uncle Reid greeted us. “We’ve made it through our arrival, and now we need to prepare for the next event: dinner. Tonight, the goal is open ears. Hollis was right that this is probably the best place to find undeniable proof that the king has done something treasonous. Talk to families that live here, see if anyone has heard anything.”

He paused, clearing his throat before he went on. “And . . . I think we need to acknowledge a secondary goal. If we’re truly endeavoring to topple the crown, and those in this room are the only ones living with any right to take it, then we need to shore up our support. Speak, console, charm. Do what you must. If we prove Quinten to be in the wrong but have misjudged the people’s willingness to revolt, then this will all be in vain.”

I could tell he was very serious, but this was the least of my worries. If there was anyone who I’d want to rally behind, it was Reid Northcott.

Scarlet pulled my hair up in the typical Isolten fashion, plaiting it into several braids and looping them in a pretty nest on the crown of my head. It felt heavy, but it was a simple way to show my aim was to bend to my hosts’ will, and I worried about standing out for Uncle Reid’s sake.

“And this will complete everything,” she said, lacing blue jewels across my blonde hair, a shade closer to hers and Valentina’s than to nearly anyone back in Coroa. The dress was an almost-yellow color, not quite the gold I used to wear, but close enough to feel familiar. The blue was decidedly new.

“Thank you.”

“Can I tell you something?” Scarlet asked. “You’re the only one I can say it to.”

“Of course,” I replied, getting up so she could take my place in front of the mirror.

“I remembered something else today,” she whispered as she settled. “I remembered there were flames on the curtains before I saw the vase flying. So the fire happened sooner than I thought.”

I shook my head. “How do these things come to you?”

She opened her mouth a few different times, trying to begin an explanation and failing. “I don’t know. It’s like the whole painting of the moment is there, but then I turn my head and focus on one part of it. And when I do? It’s vivid and clear. I keep hoping that once it’s all put together, I won’t think about it so much.”

I placed my hands on hers. “I’m still listening, Scarlet. Anytime.”

She gave me a tired smile. “I know.”

I worked on pulling her hair up, doing something similar to what she’d done for me.

“You don’t need to be so nervous,” she said, likely noting my unsteady hands as they worked.