"Are you asking to join you?" Evelina echoed in a shaky voice.
A dry, disbelieving laugh escaped her lips.
"You frad ," her voice was sharper now. "You poisoned Damian. You tried to turn the court against , destroy my na, my life. And even before all this, you tried to claim my work back at the lab. You tried to kill , Tobias."
His expression didn’t change.
If anything, the maskless side of his face grew even more unreadable.
"So tell ," she snarled, "why should I even be talking to you—and not signalling every warrior in Arcadia to hunt you down and burn you out of your filthy little tunnels?"
Silence stretched between them.
The wind stirred again.
Tobias didn’t blink. "Because deep down, you know I’m not wrong."
Evelina’s jaw clenched.
"You think this kingdom is worth saving," he went on, gesturing vaguely toward the stone spires in the distance, their tips barely visible through the trees. "You believe it deserves you. But how many tis has it tried to kill you? Fra you? Use you?"
"That’s not on them. That’s you framing for your cris," she said coldly.
"Still," he said. "You adapted to survive it. Sa as I did. The only difference is you’re still chasing a dream that doesn’t exist."
In her mind, Relia stirred. "Evelina—"
"Not now," she thought quickly.
But Relia pushed harder. "If you want to bring him down, you need to play this. I can reach Damian—just keep him talking. Keep your emotions steady. Make it seem like we’re in distress, not exposed."
"You can reach him?"
"Through the bond, yes. But not words. Not images. Just feeling. Panic. Urgency."
Evelina inhaled slowly.
Then turned her attention back to the man standing in front of her.
The man who once wore a ring that matched hers. The man she once trusted with her life.
The man who now wanted her to betray everything she had fought for.
"I don’t believe in the world you want to build," she said quietly, drawing the conversation back, carefully, step by step.
"Not yet," he replied. "But you could. You would, if you let go of Arcadia’s chains."
"You expect to forget the people I care about? Damian?" she asked in a thin voice.
He gave a half-smile. "He’s useful. But short-sighted. He doesn’t think like we do. You’ve always been a builder, Evelyn. You could give this place structure. You could help bring it forward a thousand years."
She swallowed tightly.
Relia, "The signal is sent. Just keep his focus on you."
"Forward," Evelina said slowly. "Through death? Through blood?"
"Every kingdom was born in it," Tobias said. "Arcadia just hides its violence in ceremony and silver. At least I’m honest about mine."
"You’re not honest," she replied. "You’re manipulative. You’re dangerous. And you’re scared. That’s why you tried to erase —because you knew I’d be the one to stop you."
Sothing flickered in his eyes. Pride... or irritation. Maybe both.
"But I’m still here," she added.
"I know," he said. "And I didn’t co here to kill you. I ca here to offer you sothing no one else in this world ever will."
Evelina tilted her head. "And what’s that?"
"Equality."
That stopped her for a breath.
"I know what you were in our world," he continued. "What they tried to make you. A token. A tagalong genius they could quote in footnotes but never put on the cover."
Evelina’s stomach twisted. Old mories—cold labs, patronising ntors, stolen ideas—flared like ghosts beneath her ribs.
"I saw it happen," Tobias said, stepping closer. "And I couldn’t stop it then. But here? We can start over. Rebuild it better."
Her fingers tightened around her dagger.
"I don’t want your better," she whispered. "I want my own."
His gaze was sharp now. "Then you’re wasting your ti. Arcadia won’t ever love you the way he does. Not the nobles. Not the council. They’ll find another reason to bla you, and next ti? They won’t let you walk away."
"Maybe not," she said, taking a slow, steady step back, toward the tree line.
Relia’s voice was calm. "Damian is coming."
"But they’re still better than you."
Tobias’ face darkened. "That’s a mistake."
"You’ve made worse," Evelina said.
Evelina’s feet were steady, but inside she was anything but.
So she asked the question that had been burning at the edges of her mind since the mont he took off that mask.
"Why?" she asked. "Why all this hatred for a world that isn’t even yours?"
Tobias didn’t answer right away.
Instead, he turned his head slightly, as if listening to so distant mory. Then, with that sa maddening calm, he said, "Because so debts transcend worlds."
She narrowed her eyes. "What does that even an?"
He looked at her then—really looked at her. "Luther. The man whose body I ca into. He wasn’t just a court manipulator. He was a loyalist. Until Arcadia burned everything he had."
Evelina blinked. "The king?"
Tobias nodded. "King Lucien had Luther’s family executed when he was young. Publicly. Claid they were traitors conspiring with enemy houses. But no trial. No evidence. Just a warning to the others."
Her chest tightened. "So he swore revenge."
"He did more than swear," Tobias murmured. "He planned. Patiently. For years. Built connections. Masked his hatred behind loyalty. Beca indispensable to the king. All while waiting for a chance to strike."
"And then he died," Evelina finished slowly.
"And that’s when I ca in." Tobias gave a small shrug. "His knowledge, his networks, his unfinished goals... I inherited them. So I’m finishing what he started."
She stared at him. "That’s bullshit."
He blinked, surprised.
"You don’t do anything unless it benefits you," she spat. "Don’t hide behind so dead man’s vendetta. You’re just using his revenge as your shield. As your excuse."
Tobias didn’t deny it.
Instead, he offered a thin smile. "That’s where Damian cos in too."
She froze.
"When the king falls—and his beloved son with him—who do you think Arcadia turns to?" he said softly. "Not the council. Not the nobles. They’ll need soone trusted. Soone already close to power. Soone... convenient."
Evelina felt the bile rise in her throat. "You."
"Luther was the King’s most trusted advisor," Tobias continued. "They’ll honour that legacy, even if they don’t know they’re honouring and that... That’s the beauty of it."
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