Getting slapped for first time!

Xara was searching for Aether... not just for an hour or two—she had been searching for him for nearly an entire day without rest, without food... not that she actually needed those things. She could absorb Arcane energy to refresh herself for a day, but that wasn't the issue.

The issue was that she wasn't just searching—she was worried.

No, beyond worried!

Her mind was a chaotic mess, filled with every possible worst-case scenario. What if the Slave Mark started blinking? What if something truly dangerous had happened to him? The more she searched, the more restless she became. Her thoughts spiralled into panic, and the fear of what she might find was eating away at her sanity.

And after all that? After spending nearly a whole day frantically searching for him... she found him in his room? Without a care in the world?

She was beyond furious. Annoyed, angry, and overwhelmed—that's why she was punishing him.