Sairis's POV
Loreen stared at him. "You were lost."
"I had only been at the palace a few weeks," Sairis said, unbothered. "I took a wrong turn somewhere after the library and ended up in the hallway. I tried the door because I was trying to find my way back and did not want to admit to anyone that I had no idea where I was."
Loreen let out a quiet laugh. "And you ended up here."
"And I ended up here," Sairis confirmed. He looked up at the portrait. "I did not know who it was at first, until I got closer. I just thought it was a quiet room and I needed a quiet room that day, so I sat down."
Loreen was watching him now with a look that was difficult to read. Soft, but with something heavier underneath it.
"How long did you stay?" he asked.
"A while," Sairis said. "Long enough that I started talking to the portrait." He paused. "Which I realise sounds strange."
"It does not," Loreen said quietly. "I have done the same thing more times than I would like to admit."
