It's not jealousy

Lucien turned toward the sound slowly. Their eyes met.

Aeren offered a polite nod. "I see you made it back safely."

Lucien returned the nod, voice flat. "I always do."

Liora said nothing.

The silence that followed wasn't tense, but something had shifted.

Lucien finally said, "You should rest. Both of you."

He walked past them then, vanishing into the hallway, the weight of silence trailing behind.

Liora didn't move.

Aeren broke it softly, "He always walks away like that?"

She didn't answer.

Because she didn't know if it was distance… or something else entirely.

Liora stood still, the warmth of Lucien's voice already fading into the night.

Aeren cleared his throat softly. "He must have seen the light in your window."

She nodded, but her thoughts were elsewhere. "He always notices."

Aeren tilted his head. "You care for him."

She didn't answer right away. "He's my master. I respect him."