[Ren’s POV]
Sera closed the study door behind us and gestured towards the chairs arranged in front of her desk.
"Please, sit. I assume there is a reason you’ve brought Clara here so late."
"There’s more than one," I replied.
Clara glanced at me before taking a seat. I settled into the chair beside her, while Sera returned to the other side of her desk. She looked between us, her expression composed, though I noticed her eyes linger on me for a moment longer than necessary.
It had been a while since we’d last spoken properly. Under different circumstances, I might have enjoyed the opportunity to see her again. Unfortunately, arriving at her estate with another woman and a rather complicated situation wasn’t exactly how I’d imagined our next meeting.
"Is something wrong?" Sera asked.
"Joseph," Clara answered before I could.
Sera’s attention shifted towards her.
"Joseph Bloomberg?"
Clara nodded.
I leaned back in my chair. "I ran into him earlier. He was at The Lantern with Clara and Maren."
Sera’s expression changed slightly. "And?"
"We had a disagreement."
That was putting it mildly.
Clara gave me a look. "You beat him up."
"I wouldn’t say that was the entire disagreement."
"Ren."
"All right. I beat him up."
Sera studied me for a moment. She didn’t look particularly shocked, but there was a question behind her eyes.
"Was he responsible for what happened at the festival?"
"I still don’t know," I admitted. "He had an opportunity to explain himself, but he wasn’t particularly forthcoming."
"And you decided to settle the matter with your fists?"
"He was being difficult."
Clara sighed beside me.
Sera rested her hands on the desk. "I see."
There was no point pretending the encounter had been pleasant. Joseph had recognised me immediately, and the things he’d said had only made me more suspicious. I still didn’t understand how he knew certain things about me, but I wasn’t about to start explaining that to either woman.
"He is working for House Vellmore," I added. "Apparently, he managed to get himself a position there."
Sera’s expression became more thoughtful.
"I was aware that he had found employment, but I hadn’t connected him to the people we’d been discussing."
"Did you know him before?"
"No. His name came up through a few enquiries, but I haven’t had a reason to meet him personally."
I nodded. "Then I’d be careful around him."
"Because he attacked you?"
"Because I don’t trust him."
Sera considered that answer. She didn’t immediately agree with me, which was probably for the best. She had her own interests to consider, and I wasn’t going to ask her to jeopardise them because I had a personal problem with someone.
"House Vellmore and my merchant house have a business arrangement," she said. "The trading initiative is important to us. I won’t disrupt that relationship based on a suspicion."
"I wouldn’t ask you to."
"Good. But I can make a few discreet enquiries about Joseph. If there’s something worth knowing, I’d rather know it before it becomes a problem."
"That’s all I wanted."
Clara shifted in her chair.
"There’s something else," she said. "Maren and I were investigating the Collective. We found people willing to talk, but she has another lead she’s following. I don’t want to interfere with her work, but I also don’t want to leave her alone in this."
Sera’s expression softened a little.
"You can stay here tonight. I’ll have a room prepared for you, and if you need anything, you can ask one of the staff."
"Thank you," Clara replied. "I appreciate it."
"There’s no need to thank me."
Sera stood and rang the small bell on her desk. A moment later, a maid appeared at the door.
"Please show Miss Dale to one of the guest rooms. Make sure she has everything she needs."
Clara rose, then looked at me.
"I’ll see you tomorrow?"
"Of course."
She hesitated, as though she wanted to say something else, but eventually offered a small smile and followed the maid out.
Once the door closed, the room became noticeably quieter.
Sera remained standing beside her desk.
"Well," she said, looking at me. "You certainly know how to make an entrance."
"I was hoping you’d be pleased to see me."
"I am." Her lips curved slightly. "That doesn’t mean I approve of the circumstances."
"I’ll try to arrange a better visit next time."
"You could start by not arriving with someone else’s troubles."
"That might be asking a little too much."
She laughed softly, and some of the tension left the room.
I watched her for a moment. She was dressed elegantly, as usual, though there was something about the way she carried herself that suggested she’d been working for most of the evening. A few documents lay open on her desk, and an unfinished cup of tea sat beside them.
I realised I’d missed seeing her.
Not simply her appearance or the way she smiled at me. I’d missed talking to her, being around her, and the ease that seemed to come whenever we were alone.
It was an inconvenient realisation, considering everything else I had to deal with.
"You’re staring," she said.
"Am I not allowed?"
"You’re allowed. I’m simply wondering what you’re thinking about."
"Whether you’ve been avoiding me."
Her eyebrows rose. "Have I?"
"I haven’t seen you in a while."
"Neither have I seen you."
"That’s different."
"Naturally."
I smiled, but she continued watching me. Her expression gradually became more serious.
"Ren, is something troubling you?"
I considered giving her a joke. It would have been easier, and she’d probably have played along. But I was beginning to understand that if I wanted something genuine with her, I couldn’t keep hiding behind humour whenever a conversation became uncomfortable.
"There’s something I wanted to talk to you about."
She moved away from the desk and took the chair Clara had occupied.
"Then talk."
I rested my forearms on my knees.
"I’m going to the Dragon Kingdom."
"I know."
That caught me off guard.
"You do?"
"You mentioned your plans before. I assumed you hadn’t changed your mind."
"I haven’t."
Sera nodded slowly. "Then I suppose you’ll be leaving Haremdale soon."
"Eventually."
She looked down at her hands. "And what exactly did you want to discuss?"
I took a breath.
"I don’t want to leave things between us as they are."
Her eyes lifted to mine.
"What do you mean?"
"I like you, Sera. I thought that much was obvious, but perhaps I’ve been making it unnecessarily difficult to understand."
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"Perhaps a little."
"I don’t want this to be something that only exists when we’re in the same city. I don’t want to leave and have us pretend that whatever happened between us was just a pleasant distraction."
She didn’t answer immediately.
I continued before I could lose my nerve.
"I know you have responsibilities here. The Thorn Collective, your merchant house, and everything else you’ve built. I’m not asking you to abandon any of that to follow me. I wouldn’t expect you to."
"Then what are you asking?"
"To make this real. To be with you properly, not just when it’s convenient."
Sera looked at me for a long moment.
"You make it sound rather simple."
"It isn’t. I know that."
"You’re going to the Dragon Kingdom. I have a business to run, people depending on me, and matters here that won’t resolve themselves simply because I decide to leave."
"I know."
"And you expect us to maintain a relationship with that distance between us?"
"I expect us to try."
She leaned back, studying my face.
"You’ve thought about this?"
"More than I’d like to admit."
"That must have been difficult."
"Extremely. I nearly exhausted my supply of intelligent thoughts."
She shook her head, smiling despite herself.
Then the smile faded.
"Ren, I don’t want to be something you remember fondly once you’ve gone. I don’t want promises made because leaving is difficult or because tonight has been particularly pleasant."
"I understand."
"Do you?"
I reached across the space between us and took her hand.
"I’m not asking you to put your life on hold. I want you to continue doing what you do. I want you to keep building your business and leading the Collective. I know those things matter to you."
Her fingers moved slightly beneath mine.
"And what happens when you reach the Dragon Kingdom?" she asked.
"I’ll write to you. I’ll find a way to return when I can. And if you ever decide to visit, you’ll have a place with me."
"You’re assuming I’ll want to visit."
"I’d be disappointed if you didn’t."
She gave a quiet laugh, but her eyes remained fixed on mine.
"You really are asking me to take you seriously."
"I am."
For a while, neither of us spoke.
I could see her weighing my words, considering what they meant for her. Sera wasn’t someone who made decisions simply because they sounded romantic. She had built her position through careful choices, and she knew better than most what it meant to commit herself to something.
I wasn’t going to rush her.
Eventually, she turned her hand and laced her fingers through mine.
"I don’t want to stop you from going to the Dragon Kingdom," she said. "And I won’t pretend that I can leave everything here behind. But I don’t want to end what we have either."
I felt some of the tension leave my shoulders.
"Then don’t."
She looked at me, and a small smile returned.
"You’re very persuasive."
"I’ve been told I have my moments."
"Don’t ruin it."
I laughed.
She stood, still holding my hand, and moved closer. I rose to meet her.
For a moment, she simply looked at me. Then she placed her free hand against my chest.
"I want this to mean something, Ren."
"It does."
"Then don’t make me regret believing you."
"I won’t."
She leaned forward and kissed me.
It wasn’t like our first kiss. There was no teasing beforehand, no uncertainty about whether either of us wanted it. Her hand moved to the back of my neck, and I drew her closer, returning the kiss.
When we finally parted, she rested her forehead against mine.
"Stay tonight," she whispered.
I smiled.
"I was hoping you’d ask."
"Don’t become too pleased with yourself."
"Too late."
She laughed and kissed me again.
For the first time since leaving The Lantern, the day’s events seemed far away. Joseph, House Vellmore, the trouble surrounding Clara’s family. All of it could wait until morning.
There were still decisions to make, and I knew the road ahead wouldn’t be simple. But I had made one decision of my own.
I wasn’t going to treat Sera as someone I could simply leave behind.
And I intended to make sure she knew it.