Alina walked back to her room alone. Outside, the corridor was quiet. Her footsteps echoed softly as she walked, too loud in the silence.
When she reached her room, she closed the door and leaned against it for a moment.
I am overthinking. The maids were probably mistaken. Rosilyn had lived in Ravenmoor for an year. Of course she knew Austin's habits.
But Austin's behavior in the study unsettled her.
The way he avoided looking at Rosilyn and the tension in his shoulders.
And
She reminds me of a part of my life I don't like remembering.
Austin had never spoken to her like that before. Tonight, for the first time he had hidden something from her.
Maybe he isn't ready yet. But why?
That disturbed her even more than the maids' words.
"I need to stop drawing conclusions," she muttered to herself.
She shook her head, took a deep breath and sat at her desk.
Emeric,
