Sera frowned as well. "And why is he with Lady Kosler?" Her tone wasn't entirely suspicious more puzzled than anything else. "They look like they've been talking for quite a while."
Valerie remained silent.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the two figures, yet her mind felt empty strangely empty. There was no surge of emotion like before, no suffocating urge to cry. Only a bitterness slowly seeping in, like a truth she had finally stopped denying.
He did come, she thought. Just not for me.
Valerie drew a slow breath, steadying herself. She lowered her gaze briefly, then lifted her face again with an expression that was hard to read.
"Maybe they just ran into each other by chance," she said lightly too lightly. "Lady Kosler was invited to the hunt too. It's not strange for them to meet in the city."
Sera and Lira exchanged glances, clearly not fully convinced by that explanation. But seeing Valerie's expression, they held back any further comments.
