"Clara, I appreciate the concern, but my shoulder is still a bit tender," I said smoothly, taking a deliberate step back to put a safe physical distance between us.
Before Clara could pout and launch into another volley of rapid-fire questions, the sharp, deliberate clicking of heels echoed against the wooden floorboards of the staircase.
Ariana descended the final step.
The sweet, vulnerable girl who had just been crying into my chest minutes ago had vanished entirely. In her place was the second daughter of the Solmere Duchy. Her posture was immaculate, her golden hair perfectly framed her face, and her violet eyes were narrowed into freezing, calculating slits behind her glasses.
"Lady Clara," Ariana said, her voice perfectly melodic but carrying the ambient temperature of a northern blizzard. "And Lady Elisha. What an... unexpected surprise. To what do we owe the pleasure of your unannounced visit at this hour?"
