"Where did you go, you look so tired..."
"You made me and Lady Seraphina worry so much. What if something happened to you? What if you hadn't come back?"
"I just had something really important to me that I needed to do," Xavier replied, his voice low, his expression unreadable.
Celene noticed the way his eyes shifted, the slight hesitation in his tone—he didn't want to go deeper. She sensed it, and though her curiosity burned, she held back.
"Don't push yourself too hard," she said softly, her hand brushing gently against his cheek, "look how tired and stressed out you look..."
Xavier's lips curled into a sly grin as something playful sparked in his eyes. "I really am tired... and a really good bath comes to mind."
Celene gave a soft gasp before grinning knowingly, slapping his chest with mock offense. "You naughty boy. Just ask me directly if you want it—not like I'll refuse anyway…"
