Page 16 of The Tea Witch’s Secret

I pushed the thoughts aside. They grew out of that phase at least fifteen years ago, probably more. It wasn't something to bother myself with any more. Instead, I focused on drawing the wooden comb through Eva's waist-length black hair. It fell like a waterfall behind her, ethereal and perfect, just like she was.

"What do you think, Lian?" Eva asked, meeting my gaze in the mirror.

"About what?" I asked.

"About our new house," she responded. "Max went to inspect it yesterday, and he says it's not too far from done. We might be able to move into it in a few weeks."

My throat got tight, and I accidentally stopped brushing. "So we wouldn't be here anymore?" I started again, hoping she wouldn't notice the pause and question what happened.

"No, this was always temporary," she said.

"I know," I said. And I did know, they weren't called the guest quarters for no reason. I just hadn't considered that would mean no more mornings with Pepper. I'd come to enjoy having her company while I had my breakfast. It was going to be strange to not share them with her any more and I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about that.

Max nodded and handed me a hair tie. I took it from him so that I could use it in Eva's hair. I personally preferred to use a pin to put my hair up, but Eva liked more elaborate hair accessories, so this was more secure. I wound it around her hair high on her head so that I could style the rest of it.

"The house looks really nice," Max said. "There are nice rooms for all three of us and a small dormitory for our attendants. They even accounted for space where we can hold meetings and receive guests."

"That sounds very good," I replied, wondering why Max was the one who went to inspect the house. That was the sort of thing I was supposed to take care of, so did that mean I wasn't doing my job properly? I'd been a couple of times and talked to the people in charge, but I hadn't gone on a full tour.

Eva let out a sigh, and if I hadn't been in the middle of doing her hair, she'd have nodded. She'd always been thoughtful and aware of people, even if she could sometimes be forgetful. "Yes, but they want to know how big to make the kitchen," she said. "Since Max and I don't prepare food much, I figured we should ask you. You know better how big a kitchen should be and what a cook might need."

"Umm..." I paused in my hair styling, my brain taking a moment to catch up with the conversation. "Big enough that I can make my breakfasts and not get in the way of the cook. I'll go over to the house tomorrow and give instructions to the builders."

"If you're sure," Max said. "I can talk to them. You've had a lot on your plate since we've arrived here."

"Settling in a new place is very intense," I said, picking up one of Eva's hair pieces and carefully sliding it into place in front of her bun.

"It is. But I don't have anything going on tomorrow, I can do it," Max assured me.

Eva looked at her brother through the window. "Any chance that there's a handsome hare ward working on the project?"

Max spluttered, his cheeks turning red. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't," Eva responded. She picked up one of her decorative hairpins and held it up to me so that I could insert it into her bun.

I carefully positioned the dangling flowers so that they were best displayed, and put a matching one on the other side. It was a lot more ornate than I could deal with myself, but I knew she liked it.

A knock sounded on the door, and a familiar voice drifted through. "Hello? It's Pepper."

Panic spiked in my stomach, but before I could do something about it, Eva was already calling her to come in. I remained frozen in my spot, not sure how to deal with Pepper's presence. Not after the confusing moment we shared. I hadn't even had a chance to talk to Eva about it, and now Pepper was about to walk into the room with both of my cousins in it.

"Hi." Pepper's gaze lingered on me for a little longer than everyone else. Her lips were red again, like when we were at the bonfire. "I'm glad you're all here. I wanted to talk to you about the upcoming Moon Tea Festival. Are you familiar with it?"

Eva nodded. "Yes, we grew up celebrating it because of our dad. He's a tea witch, like Lian."

"I know, Lian told me about him," Pepper said, looking at me again before turning her attention back to Eva, but that seemed like a struggle.

My cheeks got very hot, and I didn't know why.

"What's going on with the festival?" Max asked, shuffling to the side on the bed so that he could see Pepper better.

"Well, I wanted to check if there are specific ways you like celebrating this festival, like dishes from the regions you've lived in that I could create," she said. "Purple Oak wants you to feel at home, and I do too. So this is important to us."

Eva and Max shared a look before nodding to each other.

"Mooncakes," Eva responded.

"Mooncakes," Pepper repeated, sucking in the air between her teeth. "I don't think I'm familiar with what those are."