Chapter 95 — "Fake"
She picked up her cup again.
Seraphina stared at her.
"You don’t believe me."
"I believe you believe it."
"Mother."
"Seraphina."
"We agreed."
"You agreed."
"He agreed too."
"Mm."
That mm.
That specific mm.
The same mm Tax used.
Seraphina looked at her mother.
Her mother looked at the garden.
"You sound like Tax."
Elena looked mildly offended.
"I sound like myself."
"Tax says mm the same way."
"Tax is a crow."
"A crow with excellent instincts."
Her mother set down her cup.
Stood.
Smoothed her dress.
"Eat breakfast Ahina."
She left.
Seraphina looked at the notebook.
Then at the empty doorway.
Then at the notebook again.
Tax flew through the window.
Landed on the table.
Looked at the notebook.
Then at her.
"ehehe."
"Tax."
"Yes Boss."
"Stop."
"I’m just sitting here."
"You’re judging me."
"I’m sitting here and judging you."
"TAX."
"Those are technically different activities."
She pointed at him.
He looked at her finger.
Then at the notebook.
Then back at her.
"It’s a very nice notebook."
"It’s fake."
"The notebook is very real."
"The situation."
"Also becoming very real."
"TAX."
The crow flew to the window ledge.
Settled.
Watched the morning outside with the satisfied expression of someone who had said exactly enough.
Daren arrived first.
He looked at the table.
At the notebook.
At Seraphina’s expression.
At Tax on the window ledge.
Then sat down with the energy of someone who had slept well specifically because something entertaining had happened and intended to continue being entertained.
"Good morning."
"No."
Daren grinned.
"Rough night?"
"Fine night."
"You look like you had thoughts."
"I always have thoughts."
"Specific thoughts."
"Daren."
"About specific people."
"Daren."
"Who send specific gifts."
"DAREN."
He picked up bread.
Ate it.
Still grinning.
"I’m just saying."
"Don’t just say."
"The notebook is very nice."
"It’s a notebook."
"Dark blue."
She stared at him.
"How do you know what color it is."
Daren pointed at it on the table.
"It’s right there."
"You noticed the color immediately."
"It’s a distinctive color."
A pause.
"It matches your dress from yesterday."
Seraphina went very still.
Daren’s grin became enormous.
"Does it."
She said carefully.
"Obviously."
Daren said.
Using her word.
Completely without shame.
She pointed at him.
He ate more bread.
Rowan arrived.
Sat down.
Poured tea.
Looked at the table.
At the notebook.
At Seraphina’s expression.
At Daren’s grin.
Connected everything in approximately four seconds.
Said nothing.
Which was Rowan.
Precisely and exactly Rowan.
Then Kael walked in.
The table reacted.
Daren sat up straighter.
Rowan looked at his tea.
Tax turned from the window.
Kael looked at the table.
At the people at it.
Sat down.
Poured tea.
Said nothing.
The silence lasted three seconds.
Daren broke it.
"Kael."
"Hm."
"The notebook."
"What about it."
"Dark blue."
A pause.
"Yes."
"Matches her dress from yesterday."
Another pause.
"Does it."
Daren pointed at him.
"You knew."
"I sent a notebook."
"A specific color notebook."
"It’s a common color."
"It matches her dress exactly."
Kael picked up his cup.
"Coincidence."
Daren stared at him.
"That’s not."
"It’s a common color."
"Kael."
"Daren."
"That’s not a coincidence."
"Drink your tea."
"You don’t have tea."
"Get me some."
Daren looked at Rowan.
Rowan was looking at his own tea.
With the expression of a man who had connected everything and was going to say nothing because saying nothing was occasionally the most powerful option available.
Tax made a sound.
From the window.
"ehehe."
Everyone looked at him.
"Fruit."
He said immediately.
"I’m thinking about fruit."
"That’s not what that sound means."
Seraphina said.
"I have a complex relationship with fruit."
"TAX."
"It brings up many emotions."
"I will remove your corner."
Tax went quiet.
The threat landed precisely.
As it always did.
Kael was watching this exchange.
Something in his expression that was almost amusement.
Almost.
Gone before it arrived fully.
He looked at the notebook on the table.
Then at Seraphina.
She was already looking at him.
They looked at each other for exactly two seconds.
Then both looked away simultaneously.
Daren pointed between them.
Silently.
At Rowan.
Rowan looked at Daren.
Then at his tea.
Daren pointed again.
More urgently.
Rowan continued looking at his tea.
The message he was sending was clear.
I see it. I know. Stop pointing. We are not doing this right now.
Daren lowered his hand.
Ate bread.
Thought about things.
Then:
"Kael."
"What."
"The letters."
Kael looked at him.
"What letters."
"Your mother mentioned letters."
A pause.
"She said Seraphina appeared in every one."
Kael picked up his cup.
"She was part of the journey."
"Every letter."
"I provided updates."
"About Seraphina specifically."
"About the journey."
"Kael."
"Daren."
"Can I read them."
"No."
"Just one."
"No."
"The shortest one."
"No."
"What if I asked nicely."
"No."
"What if Seraphina asked."
Kael looked at Seraphina.
Seraphina looked at Kael.
Something passed between them.
Quick.
Complicated.
Then Seraphina looked at Daren.
"I don’t want to read them."
Daren stared at her.
"You don’t want to."
"No."
"You’re not even a little curious."
A pause.
Long enough to be its own answer.
"No."
Daren looked at Rowan.
Rowan looked at his tea.
Tax on the window ledge made his sound again.
Quietly.
Just for himself.
"ehehe."
Then Kael’s mother walked in.
The table shifted immediately.
She looked at everyone.
At the notebook on the table.
At Seraphina.
At Kael.
At the general atmosphere.
And smiled.
The specific smile of a woman who understood exactly what was happening in a room and had decided to enjoy it fully.
She sat down.
Poured tea.
Looked at Seraphina.
"How did you sleep Seraphina."
"Well."
"No thoughts keeping you up."
"No."
"Nothing on your mind."
"No."
A pause.
"The notebook is lovely."
Seraphina looked at it.
"It’s a notebook."
"Dark blue."
"Yes."
"Kael’s favorite color."
The table went completely still.
Seraphina looked at Kael.
Kael looked at his mother.
His mother picked up her tea.
Looked at the window.
"Did I say something interesting."
"Mother."
Kael said.
Quiet.
One word.
The tone of someone requesting something stop immediately.
"I’m simply making conversation."
"You’re doing the thing."
"What thing."
"The thing."
"I don’t have a thing."
"You have several things."
"I have zero things."
"Mother."
"Kael."
They looked at each other.
The specific look of a mother and son who knew each other completely and were currently on opposite sides of something.
His mother smiled.
Small.
Won.
Set down her tea.
"More toast anyone."
Daren immediately raised his hand.
Rowan looked at his tea again.
Seraphina was looking at the notebook.
At the dark blue cover.
At the card in her pocket.
At nothing specific.
Tax watched from the window.
His golden eyes moving between Seraphina and Kael.
Between Kael and the notebook.
Between the notebook and Seraphina’s expression.
Filing things.
Waiting.
With the patience of a crow who knew exactly how things ended.
And had decided today was not yet the day to say so.
Kael looked at Seraphina once more.
She was still looking at the notebook.
Her fingers had moved to the ribbon on her wrist.
Touching it.
Without noticing she was.
He looked away.
At the window.
At the morning light.
At nothing specific.
His expression doing the controlled thing.
Just the controlled thing.
Nothing else.
Obviously.
The library was Seraphina’s plan.
normal
Quiet.
Just books and silence and the particular peace of a room that had existed longer than most problems.
She found her chair immediately.
The one by the window with the worn armrest.
Sat.
Opened the notebook.
Looked at the blank first page.
Wrote her name.
Seraphina.
Just that.
Claiming it.
Closed it.
Looked at the window.
At the light doing light things outside.
Normal things.
Good things.
Then footsteps in the corridor.
She recognized them before the door opened.
Not because she had memorized them on purpose.
Because Kael walked like someone who had decided where he was going and that was sufficient.
The library door opened.
He looked at her.
She looked at him.
Neither spoke immediately.
"Library."
He said finally.
"Obviously."
She said.
He walked in.
Sat in the chair across from her.
The table between them.
Picked up a book from the stack nearby.
Opened it.
Read.
Said nothing else.
Seraphina looked at him.
"You came to the library."
"Yes."
"To read."
"Yes."
"Right now."
"Yes."
"Specifically now."
He looked up briefly.
"Is there a problem."
She looked at the notebook in her lap.
Then at him.
"No."
He looked back at his book.
She looked at hers.
The library was quiet.
The genuinely good kind.
Pages turned.
Light moved through the window slowly.
Normal things.
Then Seraphina said:
"The hair pin."
Kael looked up.
She was looking at the window.
Not at him.
Her hand had moved to her hair.
Where the pin was.
Still there.
Dark blue stone catching the light.
"It matched exactly."
A pause.
"The blue in the dress."
Another pause.
"How did you know the shade."
Kael looked at her for a moment.
Then back at his book.
"I looked."
She turned toward him.
"You looked."
"Yes."
"At my dress."
"Yes."
"At the specific blue."
"Yes."
"To match a hair pin you bought in ten minutes."
He turned a page.
"The staff was efficient."
"Kael."
"Hm."
"That’s."
She stopped.
Started again.
"That’s very specific."
"It matched."
"You made sure it matched."
"Yes."
She stared at him.
He read.
Or appeared to read.
The page hadn’t moved in thirty seconds.
"Why."
The question came out smaller than intended.
He looked up.
His expression completely neutral.
The specific neutral that had a great deal underneath it.
"You’re my fiancée."