YIN'S POV
After breakfast, I retreated to my study where the daily financial reports were waiting. The familiar routine should've been grounding, but my mind kept drifting back to Irene's face when she'd left my room.
I was reviewing the ledgers when Ervin entered, carrying another stack of documents.
"The accounts from the eastern territories, my lord," he said, setting them on my desk. "And the tax collections from—" He stopped abruptly, studying my face. "You're not listening to a word I'm saying, are you?"
I blinked, realizing he was right. I hadn't processed a single word because I was too busy thinking about what wad wrong with me. "I'm listening."
"No, you're not. You're brooding." He leaned against the desk, crossing his arms. "What's wrong?"
I set down the quill I'd been holding and leaned back in my chair. "I don't understand what's happening to me."
"What do you mean?" He leaned closer.
