Mira shut the door behind her, the smile still tugging at her lips. She pressed her back against the wood for a moment, trying to will it away. Stop that. Stop smiling like an idiot. It's just a boy. A very weird, oblivious boy.
She exhaled sharply, patting her cheeks before heading downstairs.
The inn's kitchen was still bustling despite the late hour. Pots clanged, bread baked in the oven, and the warm smell of stew wrapped the room like a blanket. Mira slipped in, thinking she'd grab some water before heading to her own room.
But then—
"Mira?" one of the girls gasped, dropping a spoon. "Are you… smiling?"
Heads turned. All at once, every maid, cook, and helper in the room stopped what they were doing to stare. And indeed, there it was: Mira, the girl who usually returned from upstairs rolling her eyes or muttering about some arrogant customer, was smiling.
It spread like wildfire.
"She's smiling."
"Something happened."
"Don't tell me one of the guests finally—"
"Ohhh, Miraaa~"
The youngest helper sing-songed the name, wagging her eyebrows. Another nudged her with a wicked grin. "So? Who was it? Which room? Don't tell me you finally found someone who didn't get a dagger pointed at him?"
Mira blinked, caught between shock and horror. "W-what? No! I was just—he's—"
"Ohhh, he's?" the group chorused like a choir of gossips.
Mira groaned, slamming her cup onto the counter. "It's nothing! He's just… ordinary."
"That's worse," one cook teased, stirring her pot. "If the 'ordinary' ones can make you smile, Mira, then maybe you're finally falling."
"I am not—!" Mira's voice cracked, betraying her fluster. She turned on her heel, braid swinging, trying to storm off with dignity.
But the laughter followed her, echoing like an unshakable curse.
And yet… the smile wouldn't leave her face.