The light crept through the chamber windows, casting a soft, ghostly glow over Mathias as he concentrated intensely on the task at hand.
His movements were slow and deliberate, his fingers trembling slightly as he helped Olivia into her heavy traveling clothes. He handled her with a cautious reverence, as if any sudden sound or misplaced touch might shatter the fragile glass of the moment they shared.
"Mathias..." Olivia's voice was a low silk thread, vibrating against the silence as she felt his cold fingers fumbling with the buttons of her coat. "Must we truly depart today? Why are you in such a desperate hurry?"
He paused, adjusting the heavy wool of her scarf with a gentle tug. "Yes," he replied, his voice firm yet hushed. "Leila insisted on rest. I am taking you somewhere far from this noise, where the world cannot find us."
