[Ace's POV]
I bent down and retrieved the wolf stuffed toy from the cobblestones, brushing a speck of dust from its silver fur. The cookbook lay beside it, its cover shimmering faintly in the lantern light. Gale had simply dropped them and walked away, disappearing into the crowd without a backward glance.
"He left you alone, didn't he?" I asked Ovelia, keeping my voice carefully neutral.
She nodded, her red eyes fixed on the bouquet in her hands. "But it felt urgent. I think he sensed something important—danger, maybe." She looked up at me, and there it was—that familiar plea in her gaze, the silent request for understanding. "He gave me permission to activate the familiar sigil. To summon him if anything happened. So I think… I think it's still alright. Even though he left."
She was defending him. Already. Without hesitation.
I closed my eyes and exhaled slowly, letting the tension drain from my shoulders. When I opened them, I looked at her cheek.
