The gates groaned as Bruno pushed them open, the iron stiff with frost.
The snow still fell, blanketing the world in silence.
He stepped out into the street, cane crunching against the ice, breath curling like smoke in the winter night.
And there she was.
A single car idled by the curb, its engine muffled by the storm.
Beside it stood Heidi. No guards, no attendants, no cloak of royal dignity, just a plain coat against the cold, her hair pulled back, her pale face softened by the falling snow.
Bruno stopped short, a bitter smile tugging at his lips. He shook his head, voice low.
"I should have known you would find me here…"
Heidi's expression mirrored his, weary but tender, a smile more sorrow than joy.
"It wasn't hard," she answered softly. "You tend to come here when life gets too heavy…"
For a long moment, nothing more was said. There was no need. She knew, and he knew, and the silence between them was more honest than words.
At last she spoke again, her voice steady.
