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Oleander hummed pensively. “Well, the Lady of the Lake is real enough,” Oleander said. “I saw her creepy eyes myself.”

“The texts say she wrote the original Silver Book.”

“The Silver Book! Why is everyone so obsessed with that thing?”

Brennessel’s look was murderous as she snapped, “Because it’s something that’s exclusively translated and interpreted by demons, only for them to turn around and weaponise these truths against demonesses. Whether you believe in it or not—it still affects our society to an unjustifiable degree.”

Large bowls filled with steaming pasta topped with parmesan cheese were set before them, Oleander smirked and gave himself a secret point for getting Brennessel riled up so early on in the evening. He needed to level the playing field after she forced him to admit terribly embarrassing secrets to her, after all.

The cheerful hum of laughter and conversation wove together with lively music, completing the comforting ambience. Any remaining tension in his body faded with every bite of creamy pasta.

A harpy with skin the colour of the inside of a pear and feathers so ruffled she appeared to have broken up a recent brawl collected their empty bowls. Almost as if they’d agreed upon it, both leaned forward to continue their conversation.

Brennessel gave him an odd look as she asked, “So why didn’t you just harvest the perilla blossoms somewhere else? They bloom in every Circle.”

“Well… these specific blooms are the ones Perine wanted—” She cut him off with a suggestive raise of her brow. He shoved more pasta in his mouth.

“Enough about me... I’m more interested to know how you became friends with her.” Oleander said, deftly changing the subject. He couldn’t picture the two of them as friends. Brennessel was tenacious, logical, and ambitious. If anyone was going to point out hypocrisy, it would be her. Perine, on the other hand, preferred not to disturb the fragile harmony of any situation—keeping her head down and going with the flow at all costs.

Brennessel took a thoughtful sip of her wine. “Peri isn’t who everyone thinks she is.”

Oleander snorted derisively. “If you say so.”

“When Peri loves someone, she loves them so deeply that she doesn’t see them clearly. Her devotion to her family is ruining her, but she desperately wants to believe that it’s not.”

She took another sip, her gaze scanning the room as she continued. “When she found out I was often collecting ingredients for potions, she started joining me so I wouldn’t be alone.

“Then a group of Holy Circle demonesses decided it was inappropriate that I was the top of our class. They started a smear campaign against me. I didn’t care until they got our professors to discredit things I’d written.”

Brennessel smiled ruefully. “Peri spent weeks doing secret research on them. Then she made a bargain with Psyche Fairies.”

“No,” he whispered, aghast. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Bargaining with Psyche Fairies is deranged! They always go too far.”

“That’s what I’m trying to tell you. She didn’t care.” Brennessel pointed her wine glass at him in emphasis. “Those demonesses were hurting me. So, Peri got the fairies to take their confidence… all of it. They almost didn’t finish at the Academy.”

Oleander blew out a breath. “Fuck me.”

Brennessel’s laugh was laced with melancholy. “You have no idea how brutal she can be if you come after someone she loves. Her family found out about our friendship and forbade us from any further interaction. They reminded her that the Floralia Circle had a tendency to twist the scriptures in the Silver Book until it condones our sinful nature.

“While your Circle—” here she nodded at Oleander, “—is known for being ruthless, I guess our Circle is known for being conniving?”

Oleander arched his brow. “Well, they are right about my Circle in this instance.”

“Of course, you’re all one dimensional ruthless monsters.” She gave him a pointed look. “I mean, I’d describe my Circle as thoughtful and enlightened, but I digress…” Brennessel made a point of clearing her throat before continuing, “According to her parents, not only was a Floralia Circle demoness just generally not to be trusted, but I’m pretty sure they also found out other things about my life such as wanting to be a potioner and only dating demonesses. She did fight it at first, we snuck around a bit under the cover of night, but I think they forced her into the betrothal to Valus soon after. And Peri’s always been so desperate for her family’s approval…”

He looked off to the side, focusing on one of the fireplaces adding its cheerful glow to the room. Raucous laughter rolled over the room, and all Oleander could think was that he was sitting at a table with Perine’s best friend and she wasn’t here, would never be here, and it made him unfathomably sad. His throat was choked with emotion as he asked, “Do you think there’s hope for her?”

Brennessel took a long drink of wine. “Why do you think I want you to help her? The moment I find a way to help her… you don’t know how brutal I can be for the people I love.”

Oleander heaved a deep breath, shooting her an amused look. “Hence the blackmail.”

Brennessel filled their glasses with a smirk. “Right. I’m sorry I blackmailed you into getting your shit together.”

She took a long sip of the pixie wine, then held the glass up to the light, admiring it. “I gave Peri a bottle of this wine once as a joke, just to see what she would do.”

Oleander coughed out a surprised laugh. “You gave her wine?”

A nostalgic smile tugged at Brennessel’s lips. “She was so awkward trying not to offend me with her prim disapproval.”