Seeing this, Mrs. Eriksen quietly returned to the kitchen with a small, knowing smile, leaving me alone in the corridor outside the study.
I stood there for a moment, my thoughts unsettled, feeling the faint pressure of the bond pulling me forward while my nerves tried to hold me back. After a brief pause, I finally lifted my hand and knocked on the door.
From inside, a low voice came through, controlled but distant. "Mrs. Eriksen, go rest. I'm not hungry."
"It's me," I said softly, my voice tighter than I expected.
There was a long pause, quiet enough to make my chest tighten.
Then his voice returned, sharper this time. "Come in."
I let out a small breath and pushed the door open. The room was dim, the air heavy with a quiet intensity that always followed him. Ashton sat at his desk, composed, but there was something closed off in his posture, something that made it hard to approach him freely.
