"Eva…"
Liora's fingers tightened slightly at her sides.
For a moment, she simply stared, as if what stood before her was not a person, but some unfinished ghost that had returned.
Her lips parted.
"Why did you survive?"
The words slipped out before she could stop them, low and bitter.
Eva blinked once. But, her smile didn't move.
"I'm sorry?" she asked softly.
"I mean…" Liora corrected quickly. "Why did you come back?"
Of course, she didn't repeat the first question.
Eva watched her for a brief moment longer than necessary.
Then she laughed lightly.
"I missed my hometown," she said. "Can't I?"
Liora's face didn't change.
But inside—
Who the fuck are you kidding?
She swallowed the thought, forcing a thin smile onto her lips.
"You… can."
Eva hummed in satisfaction, as if she had just been granted something precious, and Liora turned, leading her further inside.
They stepped into the mansion's reception hall.
