Lyra's POV
My chair scraped against the stone floor before I could control myself.
The harsh sound echoed through the dining room, but nobody came after me. Kaelen had already vanished from the room with practiced ease, as if he hadn't just announced to everyone that a woman had disappeared from the estate in the early morning hours.
Nobody except Benedict appeared truly bothered by the news.
I glimpsed his retreating figure as he rounded the corner, so I followed.
He was almost through the second bend when I caught up to him.
"Hold on."
He paused without showing irritation, which somehow made me more uneasy. When he faced me, that gentle warmth from breakfast remained on his features, the soft, almost entertained look he wore when trying to put others at ease. Now it seemed deliberate, like a mask he'd carefully arranged before returning to the house.
