"Was that true?"
By the time lunch finally ended, the atmosphere on the upper floor had calmed, at least on the surface. But the awkwardness left behind by Layla's appearance still lingered in Jeanne's mind. Her words had not sounded like empty provocation.
They still had some time before the joint practical class began, and Jeanne found she could not simply let it go.
Aurora turned slightly toward her as they walked. "Concerning what exactly?"
Jeanne was quiet for a brief moment, choosing her words.
"You know what I mean," she said at last. "What Layla said."
Aurora's expression shifted, not with surprise, but with the look of someone who had expected this question sooner or later.
"You do not know much about it," she said gently, "since you were summoned after it all ended. But there was a war for the past months."
"The Utopian War?" Jeanne asked.
