Alina Hart wasn't home when Severine returned to the Winterhall Enclave.
The young lady hadn't been able to sit still and had left for her special training soon after Severine's plane boarded.
Or perhaps, Alina felt too shy to stay in the sprawling estate without Severine to accompany her.
Not wanting to trouble Severine, she had left a note attached to frozen dumplings and a few messages to greet her.
Her enthusiasm was enough to relax Severine.
"You are back," Sigmund welcomed them inside.
After leaving Severine to her own devices, he went to help Samuel, who was arranging the paintings in the left wing of the third floor.
They didn't linger more than necessary, hurrying with the things before leaving. It was a place where no one was allowed to enter without the owner's permission.
A few canvases lay there, half-painted with vague figures of animals, yet none of them were complete.
