Inside the luxurious room, Aera sat still, her posture straight, her expression unreadable.
The faint aroma of jasmine drifted from the teacup at her side.
She reached for it, lifted it delicately, and took a slow sip.
The warmth did nothing to soften the emptiness in her gaze.
Silence filled the room.
Not the comfortable kind — the kind that stretched, hollow and heavy, until even the smallest sound felt intrusive.
"…This is rather vexing…" she murmured quietly to no one in particular. Her voice barely broke the still air.
She had already known her meeting with Riley wouldn't go smoothly.
Still, to walk away with nothing but one simple, stubborn refusal—it irritated her more than she cared to admit.
She set the cup down with a soft click, eyes narrowing at the rippling surface of the tea.
How does someone like him survive in this world for so long? she wondered. So young, yet so… unbending.
Then again, perhaps that's exactly why.
