Ashley knows what it means when Ereuvir says he’ll never be able to top this. There’s only one gift that could possibly exceed all others to that point, and Ashley has waited patiently, asking only rarely whether Ereuvir has any news of his brother. He trusts Ereuvir to handle the search as he sees fit and trusts in the temptation that he has laid out: Ashley chose to dangle the idea of both of them belonging to Ereuvir, and he genuinely believes that prize to Ereuvir will be enough to ensure what Ashley wants. He knows also that if he pushes this too hard and evokes either irritation or jealousy in Ereuvir, he risks losing both of them. So while Ereuvir has searched, Ashley has set aside thoughts of his brother and focused entirely on Ereuvir.

“You found him,” Ashley says, delighted. He lights up with hope, kissing Ereuvir in celebration and practically bouncing as they make their way through the palace and to the antechamber where Arkady is waiting.

He looks past Arkady as he enters, looking for his brother but only seeing some sallow-cheeked servant, and he startles as Arkady stands and addresses him.

Unprepared for this sight, Ashley takes a step back, half hiding behind Ereuvir like a shy child. He’s smart enough and well-educated enough on occult matters to immediately guess as to why Arkady’s appearance has changed, and it gives him some of the answers he was lacking, but not others. “You broke your promise,” Ashley says, lashing out in order to keep Arkady at a distance and buy himself some time to process.