Evelyn's POV
The rest of the morning unfolded far more peacefully than I had expected.
After breakfast, I insisted on helping Grace clear the dining table despite her repeated attempts to send me back upstairs to rest. Liora, on the other hand, proudly appointed herself the family's "quality control inspector," which apparently involved contributing absolutely nothing while sampling pieces of fruit from the serving bowl every few minutes. According to her, someone had to make sure everything tasted acceptable before it was officially served.
Neither Grace nor I believed that explanation for a second.
The kitchen slowly returned to its usual spotless state, and by the time the last dish had been dried and put away, warm sunlight had spread throughout the house, filling every room with a quiet glow that somehow made the entire morning feel unhurried. For the first time in weeks, I wasn't glancing at a schedule, checking the time, or wondering how long I had before my next meeting.
