The child sat swinging her legs beneath the wooden arbor table, sipping sweet plum juice from an earthenware cup.
The child rolled her cup between both palms and watched Hajin leave the choice of what to say entirely to her.
Hajin sat directly across from her, his posture relaxed and unhurried as gentle garden breezes rustled the surrounding rose bushes.
"I promised you yesterday that we would not make any hasty decisions about your life," the young lord began, smiling warmly.
"Before we ever speak of covenants, bloodlines, or royal legacies again, we need to talk about what real consent actually means."
The young girl tilted her head, her brown curls brushing against her shoulders as she set down her cup.
"Is consent when you ask someone if you can borrow their shovel?" she asked, her voice innocent yet inquisitive.
"That is the beginning of it," the summoner answered with a chuckle, nodding in agreement.
