[Lilia]

A minute went on for a little longer than we had anticipated. The stars started to appear in the sky when we decided to return to the mansion. The cacophony of cicadas was singing in the background, harmonizing with the soft thumping of our horses’ hooves against the grassy lawn.

I was sure Aya had left my dinner inside my room by now instead of looking for me; either that, or she was waiting for me to return. We brought the horses back to the stables. Mikanor met us at the entrance, ...