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“This one is yours.” Lux hands me a parcel wrapped in red paper. He keeps a blue one for himself, not waiting to sit down again before he tears it open.

Excitement buzzes in my chest as I open mine too. But the second my hands brush against the gift, an overwhelming sense of calm washes over my body.

“Stars,” Lux sighs, clearly feeling it with me.

Eden smiles. “I’ve been practising my gift,” she explains as I slide the clothing from the paper. It’s a long black coat with fire embroidery, and it looks like it’d fit perfectly. “When I sewed this, I imagined it bringing you comfort, and that you’d feel the perfect temperature no matter how cold or hot it is outside.” She glances at me shyly. “I know you don’t usually wear coats, but I thought you might like this one if the magic meant that you never overheated.”

My grin widens as I shove my arms through the holes. “I love it! I’ve always wanted to be able to wear a coat!” Warmth settles over me, but not the annoying kind of warmth that would make me sweat, the good kind of warmth. Cosiness.

Lux tries his on, too. It’s almost identical to mine, but made of white fabric instead of black, and there are blue waves embroidered along the hem. “This is amazing, Eden!”

“It’s not that amazing.” She blushes. “You’ve both given me so much more. I’ve not done enough.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” I step towards her, already knowing that I’m going to be wearing this perfect coat every single day. “Just being here with us is more than enough.”

“Yes, and these coats are going to make it hard for us to not want to bring our wedding date forward again,” Lux says.

We’ve already moved the date from the end of spring to the first day the flowers bloom. Now it’s looking like we’ll be marrying her the second the snow is gone.

“Eden…” Lux’s tone shifts. “And Castor,” he adds, glancing at me. “There’s something I wanted to talk to you both about. Something important.”

My brow arches. “Go on.”

He takes our hands. “I think it’s time we⁠—”

“Breakfast is ready, Your Highnesses.” A servant calls from the doorway.

“We’ll talk later.” Lux smiles. “There is so much to do today and still so many gifts to open.” He winks at Eden, drifting towards the dining room before I can stop him.

48

EDEN

My final gift is apparently waiting for me at the end of a long carriage ride.

I don’t mind it, though. After a huge feast of turkey, roast potatoes, stuffing, and more sides than I realised could possibly ever fit onto a dinner plate, I’m glad to have a rest.

Especially considering Lux and Castor insisted on showing me just how grateful they were for their coats many, many times after breakfast.

“We’re almost here.” Lux fastens my cloak around my shoulders. He’s wearing his new coat, of course. As is Castor. I’m so glad they like them. It took me so long to get the magic just right.

The first few coats left me feeling nothing at all. Then there were others that left me feeling a very different kind of warmth.

Eventually, I realised that my gift worked best when I wasn’t thinking at all, just feeling. When I sat by the crackling fire with my fabric and my needles, just imagining how lovely I felt sandwiched between my two princes, my magic flowed freely into the threads.

I feel it even now as I wrap my arm around Castor’s as he helps me down from the carriage.

But when I realise where we are, my heart stops.

“That’s the Opera House!” I squeak. A huge wooden building looms in front of us, its domed roof almost touching the evening sky. Surrounding it are more stone buildings and roads than I ever thought could fit in such a cramped, bustling space.

“Welcome to Brightsun,” Castor announces as other carriages zoom past us. “Your father’s biggest city.”

“It’s so loud,” I yell, convinced I must be dreaming.

“It won’t be inside the theatre,” Lux says after speaking to our driver. “This way.” He leads us up a set of stairs and inside the grand building.

It’s still busy in the lobby, but nowhere near as overwhelming. Portraits of famous ballerinas decorate the walls beside the ticket booths. I gasp as we stop near a huge painting of Scarlett Diosa, her red hair just as vibrant as Amaryllis’s.