"A base in a border territory. Local connections and loyalty." I paused. "And potentially a lot of complications if my father finds out I got engaged without permission to a village chief's granddaughter."
"Will he be angry?"
"Probably..." I trailed off, thinking. "Maybe. Possibly. It depends on his mood and whether he thinks it reflects well or poorly on the family."
"So you're not refusing outright," Zen said.
"I'm not accepting either." I met his eyes. "I'm saying I need time. To think, to plan, to figure out if this is something I can actually do."
Tessa was watching me with an unreadable expression.
"And if you decide you can't?" she asked quietly.
I looked at her.
She'd been bold and sarcastic when we first met. Had called me out for looking terrible, had teased and joked.
Had worked alongside me for hours.
She was smart. Competent. Kind to her community.
But I barely knew her.
"I don't know yet," I admitted. "This is... it's a lot. And I need to process it."
