Caelith turned to look at him.
Erian's expression remained calm, almost unnervingly so.
"That woman wasn't targeting your sister," he said quietly. "She was targeting you."
Caelith said nothing. Deep down, she had already reached the same conclusion.
The answer had been forming in her mind ever since she left the cloth shop.
That evening, she went to Yvaine's new home.
The moment Yvaine opened the door and saw her standing outside, her eyes immediately reddened.
"Sister..."
Caelith stepped inside and took a seat in the courtyard.
Yvaine stood before her like a child awaiting punishment after making a terrible mistake.
For a long moment, Caelith simply looked at her.
"The fabric incident wasn't your fault."
Yvaine froze.
"But..."
"Someone deliberately placed that fabric in front of you," Caelith said softly. "They calculated that you would be tempted by the lower price. They knew you would buy it. They were waiting for you to make a mistake."
