Mrs. Liara set down her quill with a small sigh.
She rubbed her eyes for a moment and then looked at Jae. "Jae, I appreciate your persistence, but I have no time for private lessons right now. My schedule is full," she said, her voice calm but firm.
Jae didn't move from where he stood in front of her desk. He stayed perfectly still, hands at his sides, but there was something in his expression that made her pause.
His face looked serious, more serious than usual. His voice was calm, but it carried a weight, a kind of honesty she wasn't used to hearing from him. "I understand," he said slowly. "But… I've never struggled like this before. Not with anything. It's humiliating."
Jae lowered his gaze for a brief second. She noticed the way his jaw tightened, the way his lips pressed together.
He looked like he hated even saying the words out loud. "If I can't manage something this basic," he said, almost in a whisper, "what does that say about me?"
