Chapter 182.3 - Let's have a talk

I leaned forward slightly, my eyes drifting to the glossy photographs Seraphina had laid on the frosted table between us. The sheen of the prints reflected the dim light, but the images were clear enough. Irina and me, standing close in the Stellamare Museum, no disguises in place. Another showed her hugging me openly at the Etheria Haven spatial gate station. 

My gaze lingered on the photographs for a moment, my expression calm, as though I were admiring art rather than analyzing evidence meant to unsettle me. 

'Interesting,' I thought, noting the fine detail in the images. 'These weren't taken by a mana-infused artifact.' 

If they had been, I would've sensed the mana signature or residual traces. My senses were attuned enough to pick up even the faintest flickers, especially in a controlled environment like the museum. But these? They carried no mana interference, no hint of artifact involvement.