At that moment, Esme returned from the restroom, her face bright as ever, unaware of the heavy silence that had just passed. Valerie quickly brushed at the corner of her eye and smiled but this time her smile was different. Still fragile, yet more honest.
In her heart, Valerie knew her life hadn't changed. She would still return to the castle. Still stand at a duke's side. Still carry a suspended status with no certainty.
But for a few minutes in that small café, with an old friend who saw her as she truly was, Valerie felt if only briefly that she still had room to breathe.
"Do you know?" Esme said, her voice trembling with genuine excitement. "The opera at the eastern hall is staging a new production tonight. They say it's beautiful about a reunion after a long separation. We should go watch it, then take a walk. Like we used to."
