The manor was quiet when he returned. The kind of quiet that settled thick in the air, pressing against the walls. It was late and well past midnight. Ragnar suspected that everyone had already gone to bed by now.
From the corner of his eye, he watched Casilo silently walk away, heading toward his own quarters without a word. He looked just as exhausted as Ragnar felt, but neither of them spoke. There was nothing to say.
Ragnar's footsteps echoed louder than usual in the heavy silence of the house. The sound of his boots against the polished floors accompanied him up the grand staircase as he trudged toward his bedchambers. When he reached the door, he paused for a breath, then turned the handle carefully and pushed it open with as little noise as possible, not wanting to disturb Circe if she was already asleep.
He stepped into the room expecting to see her curled up beneath the covers, already fast asleep. But the bed was empty.
