"What exactly are we gathered here for?"
Sebastian leaned back against the large chair by the window. His face was still pale, but his eyes were sharp as they moved between the three people in front of him, including Josselyn.
She stood stiffly near the table, her hands clasped together. She did not even know why she had suddenly involved these men, especially the silver-haired one with the low ponytail.
Howarth leaned casually against the wall, arms crossed. Kael stood slightly behind Josselyn, silent, but clearly observing every detail.
"I'd also like to know what happened at the house… what were their names? Garrick and Lyria?" Sebastian continued. "Because, to be honest, this feels like an interrogation."
No one answered immediately.
Josselyn swallowed. She glanced at Kael. Once. Then again.
"Josselyn." Howarth let out a short breath. "She healed that little girl. Lyria, who had been paralyzed for years, stood on her own weak legs in an instant."
Sebastian's eyes widened. "You mean… like when she touched my chest yesterday?"
His gaze shifted to Kael. "But wasn't that your energy transferred through Josselyn?"
"It wasn't mine," Kael replied briefly, giving Josselyn space to explain.
"Explain."
His tone was calm, but it left no room to evade.
Josselyn lifted her face slowly. "I… actually…"
She stopped. Her brows drew together slightly.
"I'm not entirely sure about this myself."
Howarth raised one eyebrow. "Don't even think about lying."
He pushed himself away from the wall and stepped closer.
"I'm not lying. Why would you accuse me…"
"Stop being so formal," Howarth cut in lightly. "You can speak casually to him. Why so stiff with us?"
He glanced at Kael.
"Why not just call us by name? The way you keep calling him 'Kael.'"
Josselyn frowned. "How could I address you like that? Kael is different from you."
Howarth almost opened his mouth to press further, but Kael spoke first.
"I knew her mother."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
Sebastian straightened slightly. "Her mother? Althea?"
His gray eyes scanned Kael from head to toe. "You don't look her age."
"Of course not. I'm a few years younger than her," Kael replied evenly. "But I'm older than all of you."
Howarth rolled his eyes. Kael was setting boundaries with the Edevane nobles.
Josselyn took a deep breath, barely noticing the tension between Kael and the two men from Edevane.
"I… recently learned something."
That was enough to draw all three men's attention back to her.
"Then let's start with what you think you know," Howarth said.
He paused, as if choosing his words.
"I think… my mother had healing abilities."
Sebastian frowned. "Like what you did just now?"
Josselyn nodded. "Maybe."
"You're her daughter. How could you not know?" Sebastian asked.
"I only knew she was skilled with herbal remedies," Josselyn replied. "I never thought she… could be more than that."
"How convenient," Howarth murmured.
Josselyn shot him a sharp glance.
"Then how do you know your mother had the same ability?" Howarth asked, his tone more serious now. "How do you know this isn't just coincidence?"
"Kael told me," Josselyn answered. "And… he saw the effects himself."
Howarth stiffened slightly.
"Effects?" he repeated. "What effects?"
Josselyn opened her mouth, but hesitated.
"I don't know," she said finally. "Not really."
She looked down at her hands for a moment.
"What I feel is… like a part of my memory is missing."
The room fell silent.
"Cut off," she continued quietly. "Like I skipped something. But I don't know what."
Howarth's gaze shifted immediately to Kael.
"What did you see?"
Kael pressed his lips together. He glanced at Josselyn, then back at Howarth.
"Her body was hot," he said briefly. "Like a fever, but not a normal one."
Josselyn's body went rigid. The memory of Yorick in the herbal room flickered through her mind.
'Was my fear actually real?'
"She wasn't fully conscious," Kael continued. "The way she spoke changed. The way she moved too."
He paused. "And after that… I don't know."
"You don't know?" One corner of Howarth's lips lifted. "Or is there something you're not telling?"
"I left to meet your group and left Josselyn in this house," Kael said flatly.
"And some time later, I went to check on her in her room. But when I knocked…"
He stopped. His gaze locked onto Howarth.
"You were the one who opened the door."
Silence fell. All eyes turned to Howarth.
Josselyn looked at him sharply, disbelief in her eyes.
"You… were in my room while I was asleep?"
Howarth shrugged lightly, as if it were nothing important.
"But…" Sebastian cut in. "Did this effect appear for the first time here?"
Josselyn shook her head slowly.
"This isn't the first time," she said.
Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Then since when?"
"The past few days… I've felt strange."
Josselyn bit her lip briefly.
"People say things… as if I should remember them. But I really don't."
Kael studied her face.
"What kind of things?" Sebastian asked.
"I don't know," Josselyn replied, frustration creeping in. "That's what confuses me."
She fell silent for a moment. Then Yorick's face surfaced again, along with the humiliating sounds that echoed in the herbal room that night.
Her body tensed. Her breath caught, as if the memory had returned too quickly.
Howarth noticed immediately. "Yorick too?"
Josselyn turned to him quickly. "How do you…"
She stopped. Three pairs of eyes were watching her with intense seriousness, reminding her that this was not the point.
Howarth did not answer. He simply watched her, waiting.
Josselyn exhaled slowly.
"Yes," she admitted. "He's one of them."
Sebastian frowned. "One of them?"
"I didn't remember him before," Josselyn continued. "But this morning… I suddenly remembered everything."
"Everything?"
Josselyn nodded. "Clearly."
Sebastian leaned back again, shaking his head. "I don't understand."
Howarth let out a light breath.
"It's not that complicated," he said.
This time, he took control of the conversation.
His eyes moved from Josselyn to Kael, then back to Josselyn.
"You use your power," he said quietly. "After that, you lose your memory of what just happened."
He paused.
"But in exchange… the memories you had lost before come back."
Sebastian scoffed. "That makes no sense."
"Exactly," Howarth replied casually. "But that's what's happening."
Josselyn stared at him.
"Yes…" she murmured. "Maybe that's it…"
She lifted her face slightly.
"A few days ago, I tried to remember something about Yorick. But I couldn't."
She drew a breath.
"But this morning, I remembered everything. Every detail. Like it just happened yesterday."
Kael listened closely. So did Howarth.
"Oh, now that makes me curious," Howarth murmured.
Then he tilted his head slightly.
"In that case…"
His tone shifted, lower and sharper.
"What exactly did you do with Yorick?"
Josselyn froze. It felt like something struck her chest.
The question made her realize she had said too much. She bit her lower lip hard.
Sebastian narrowed his eyes, watching the two of them.
Josselyn felt as if blades were pointed at her from all directions. One wrong move, and one of them would pierce her heart.
'Damn it,' she cursed inwardly, gripping her dress. 'I can't say what happened that night. Too many people would find out. Including Darius and Killian.'
Howarth's smile widened.
"Oh? Even important people know about it?" He clapped his hands lightly. "You really are hiding quite a lot, Josselyn."
Josselyn shot him a sharp look. "Please stop acting like you know everything, Lord Howarth."
"He does…" Sebastian paused.
His gaze shifted to Howarth.
"…have a way of making people very careful about what they think when they're near him."