Vera stopped walking.
The soft sound of her footsteps faded as she slowly turned around to face Ezra once more.
Tilting her head slightly, she looked at him with the same calm, unreadable expression she always wore.
"Yes...Dancer."
Her reply was as dry as ever, yet the faint teasing hidden beneath her flat tone hadn't disappeared.
Ezra looked at her quietly.
The night breeze continued flowing between them, gently brushing past their clothes and carrying strands of Vera's loosened black hair across her shoulders.
Then, without any warning...
Ezra asked,
"Do you truly love the Ashenlocke Family?"
The question arrived so suddenly that even Vera was caught off guard.
For the briefest moment...
Her eyes paused.
It was only for an instant.
No ordinary person would have noticed.
Yet inside...
She genuinely hadn't expected that question.
She had prepared herself for countless possibilities.
None of them sounded remotely close to this.
Once again...
