Sera's POV
I was still sitting in the armchair, basking in the warm air drifting from the hearth, holding the heavy book in my lap. I had already re-read the passage twice to make sure I hadn't missed a single detail or hidden clause.
Since I had left the door slightly ajar, the faint, familiar thud of Gideon’s heavy footsteps echoed up the stairwell before he even reached the threshold. I looked up just as he stepped into the room, holding a wooden tray filled with plates of steaming food.
"Read anything useful?" he asked softly, setting the tray down onto the small table in the center of the room.
"Nothing I'm ready for yet," I replied, throwing out the words like a tentative test, watching his reaction closely.
Without a single beat of hesitation, he passed with flying colors.
"O
