Outside Kingsford.


    At the edge of town, in a small house near the vige, chaos reigned indoors.


    A teenage boy paced anxiously outside the guest room, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.


    After what felt like an eternity, the door finally opened. Thedy of the house stepped out, nodded at the boy, and spoke in a brisk, practical tone.


    "I''ve cleaned her up with warm water, gave her some ginger tea, and helped her change. She''s asleep now."


    She paused, her expression clouding with disapproval. "Honestly, how do you look after your girlfriend? You let her get caught in a downpour like that-she could get really sick."


    Archie flushed, stumbling over his words. "No, no, she''s not my girlfriend, she''s my... cousin."


    He''d almost said "sister-inw," but something about the whole situation made that sound too strange, so he quickly changed it to "cousin."


    The woman didn''t look suspicious; she simply gave him a few parting instructions before leaving.


    Only then did Archie slip into the guest room.


    He flopped onto the chair by the bed, one leg crossed over the other, and eyed


    the woman bundled tightly in the nkets, her face pale as chalk. Waves of emotion washed over him.


    Just yesterday, he''d been tailing his brother, hoping to catch him in the act and snap some photographic evidence of an affair. He never expected to stumble into such a dramatic scene-it was downright riveting.


    He hadn''t heard what was said inside, but judging by everyone''s reactions, he could guess the gist.


    His sister-inw had finally had enough of his brother''s cheating.


    She''d flipped the table and walked out.


    Honestly, Archie was enjoying the show. His brother''s misfortune was his entertainment-double the schadenfreude! But what really caught him off guard was the Red Hat robot.


    That robot looked exactly like the one from his favoriteic book, *The Adventures of Red Hat*.


    He''d been peeking through the window when he saw his sister-inw holding the little robot, and he was stunned.


    A wild idea popped into his head.


    Could this Red Hat robot be the inspiration for the one in theic?


    And if that were true, did that mean his sister-inw, M, was actually Daphne- the mysteriousic artist?


    No way.


    As far as he knew, M worked in tech. When did she start drawingics-and such amazing ones, at that?


    But if she wasn''t Daphne, then what was up with that robot?


    It was uncanny.


    He''d been too shocked to sort out his thoughts, and before he knew it, M had run out in tears. Instinct took over; Archie chased after her.


    He watched, helpless, as M ran through the rain like she was lost in a nightmare. When she finally copsed, he didn''t hesitate—he scooped her up, carried her to the car, and drove away.


    What if she really was Daphne?


    With that question burning in his mind—and as a die-hard Daphne fan-he decided to grant M''s wish and not take her back to his brother.


    "But I didn''t save you for nothing, you know."


    Archie crossed his legs again, not caring if the woman in the bed could hear him or not. He grinned, talking to her as if she were wide awake.


    "If you really are Daphne, you owe me an exnation when you wake up."


    "In theic, when the little robot''s wings shattered and it fell from the sky-did it actually die or not? Will it ever chase the moon again? You need to clear this up for me!"


    "If you just killed off the little robot like that, I''m not letting it slide!"


    He was absolutely ready to go from fan to critic.


    And he wouldn''t hold back.


    Crimson Gardens, the Montgomery estate.


    Lysander and Giselle had disappeared into the study for a long, private conversation.


    When they finally emerged, Giselle looked radiant andpletely satisfied. She nced at Leonard, who was waiting by the door, and gave him a nod.


    "Lysander wants to see you."


    Expressionless, Leonard stepped inside and closed the study door behind him.