"..."
Soren could only look down at the folder in his lap, letting the heavy silence stretch between them before eting her gaze once more. Ethea’s expression remained unshakeable, her steady eyes locking him in place with an absolute certainty that left no room for negotiation.
Slowly, the tension drained from his shoulders.
A soft, helpless smile tugged at the corners of his lips as he realized he had been thoroughly defeated.
"...Alright," Soren said quietly, his voice carrying a mix of surrender and profound emotion. He tightened his grip on the folder. "I accept your gifts."
The helpless curve of his smile softened into sothing deeply genuine as he looked into her eyes, the faint blush still lingering on his cheeks.
"Thank you, Ethea," he said, his voice dropping to a low, genuine tone. "I’ll make sure it’s put to good use."
Ethea’s smile widened, a deep sense of satisfaction finally settling in her chest. For the first ti in a very long ti, she wasn’t just a bystander in her own life, and looking at Soren, she knew she had made the right choice.
With the heavy emotional hurdle cleared, the atmosphere in the room grew noticeably lighter. Ethea gave a small nod toward the docunts, steering the conversation away from their sentints and toward the reality of the assets.
"They are mostly a collection of local snack shops I purchased on a whim back then, along with a few potion boutiques and small apothecaries," Ethea explained, her tone turning practical. "We can discuss what to do with them later together."
Soren nodded in understanding. "That works perfectly. Actually, I’ve recently started studying business and investing. I figured it would be helpful in the future, so this is a good opportunity."
He happened to glance up at the wall clock and noticed the hands had already swept past 9:00 PM. While it wasn’t exactly late for a regular night, he knew Ethea needed every bit of rest she could get to preserve her fragile strength.
"It’s past nine," Soren noted softly, setting the folder down onto the nearby table. "You should rest now."
"...Mmm." Fortunately, Ethea didn’t protest.
Soren stood up from his chair and moved closer, bending down with practiced care to lift her gently from the wheelchair. Carrying her the short distance, he placed her onto the mattress and reached for the blanket, pulling it up over her shoulders with steady, natural movents.
"...Soren."
Ethea’s low voice cut through the quiet room, causing him to freeze instantly, his fingers still gripping the edge of the blanket.
’...Wait.’
A sudden wave of intense déjà vu washed over him. He blinked, the mory of the other night flashing vividly in his mind.
’This happened the other day too.’
In fact, it was the exact sa setup.
The last ti she had called his na like this, she had hesitated and simply told him goodnight. He had promised himself back then that he would just wait until she was ready.
’Then...’
Thinking she was finally ready to tell him what was on her mind, he forced his expression to remain entirely neutral before looking up to et her eyes.
"...What is it?" he asked gently.
"...Well..."
Ethea paused. Her eyes darted toward the wall, her stoic mask completely failing her as a faint, unmistakable pink hue rapidly blossod across her cheeks.
"W-Why... why don’t you... sleep on the bed too?"
"..."
The silence in the room stretched from a heavy, dramatic pause into an agonizingly long, frozen void.
"∘ ∘ ∘ ( °ヮ° ) ?"
Soren remained bent over the edge of the mattress, one hand still chanically pinching the corner of the blanket. His brain completely locked up, the gears grinding to a violent halt.
’...Sleep on the bed too?’
The simple request felt like an unsolvable riddle written in an ancient language.
His eyes slowly opened wide, then closed, then opened again, staring blankly at the fabric of the blanket. He didn’t move an inch. No, he couldn’t move at all. If soone walked into the room at that mont, they would have mistaken him for a perfectly sculpted statue.
This prolonged, frozen silence instantly backfired on Ethea.
As the seconds ticked away without a single word from him, she found herself deeply regretting the sudden impulse.
No, she was regretting every single life choice that had led her to this mont.
"₍₍⚞(⸝⸝>⸝⸝
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