A New Bond and Coincidence

And just like that, we had a plan. Plain tea with a side of decadence. Perfect.

The Grand Duchess, satisfied with our little tea scheme, happily walked back inside, leaving just me and Nora standing there.

I stretched my arms and turned to her with a lazy grin. "Alright, I'm out. See ya later."

But just as I was about to leave, she spoke up.

"Wait…"

I paused, glancing over my shoulder. "Huh? What's up?"

She looked… hesitant. Like she wanted to say something but was second-guessing herself. I raised an eyebrow. "Spit it out."

"There's… a new boutique in the city," she finally said, shifting awkwardly.

I blinked. "And?"

She cleared her throat, fiddling with the fabric of her sleeve. "Do… you want to go with me?"

Now, that was unexpected. Not shock-me-to-death unexpected, but still, it caught me off guard.