The evening air felt cooler when I stepped out of the cottage.
For a brief moment, the warmth of the hearth clung to my skin, the scent of herbs still lingering in my clothes, as though the house itself did not want to let me go.
The door closed softly behind me, not a creak or a slam, just a quiet, deliberate sound like a secret being sealed, and the guards straightened almost immediately when they saw me, tension easing from their shoulders as Maribel hurried forward first.
"Already?" she asked, her brows knitting together. "You are finished?"
I blinked at her, confused. "What do you mean, already?"
She stared at me like I had said something absurd, her expression sharpening slightly. "Seraphina, you were only inside for five minutes."
I stopped walking completely. "Five minutes?"
"Yes," she said slowly. "Perhaps less."
