Inside the room, only the faint clinking of spoons against plates echoed now. Kelen and Zara sat opposite each other at the table, yet there was no exchange of words between them. The aroma of the sweet dish and the freshness of the morning still lingered in the air.
Kelen was immersed in his breakfast with total focus while sitting in his chair, while Zara occasionally stole quiet glances at his calm demeanor. There was a strange peace in the silence over that table, as if both wanted to live through this moment without any argument.
Zara finished her last bite and set the spoon aside. Taking a deep breath, she pushed her chair back and stood up. "I've finished my breakfast," she said in a very low voice, as if reluctant to disturb the beautiful silence too much.
Kelen lifted his gaze from his plate and looked directly at Zara across the table. His eyes still held that same steady solemnity. He gave a slight tilt of his head and said in a heavy voice, "If you've finished breakfast, go and take a bath first. It will make you feel better." There was no force in his tone, but a sense of care that was hard to ignore.
Zara offered no argument. She simply lowered her lashes and gave a slow, consenting nod. There was a strange surrender in her silence.
She rose from her chair and stepped out of the room without looking back, the sound of her footsteps gradually moving toward the stairs. Kelen remained seated, his gaze still fixed on the empty chair where Zara had been just moments ago. The unspoken tension and stillness returned to the room once more.
Kelen finished the last bite of his breakfast and stood up, sliding his chair back. He gathered the scattered dishes from the table one by one. In the silence of the room, the faint clinking of the dishes echoed. Carrying them out, he headed straight for the kitchen, where he immersed himself in the tasks at hand.
In the room upstairs, Zara opened the wardrobe. Her gaze landed on the clothes she had worn when she arrived here the day before yesterday. She slowly pulled them out, feeling the fabric between her fingers.
Holding those clothes, she descended the stairs with quiet steps and headed straight for the shower room. A short while later, the sound of falling water ceased, and Zara emerged with damp hair and changed attire.
On the other hand, just as Kelen finished his kitchen chores and stepped out, his gaze froze on Zara. She was attempting to smooth her damp tresses, causing tiny droplets of water to fall onto her shoulders. Kelen's steady eyes watched her for a few moments before shifting to her old clothes.
A faint look of confusion crossed Kelen's face. He asked in his heavy voice, "Why did you put those old clothes back on?" He fixed his eyes on Zara's face and stepped closer. "Are Mia's clothes not fitting you properly?
Or is it something else?" There was a strange sting of curiosity in his words, as if he were trying to understand why Zara was still clinging to her old identity.
As soon as Kelen's question hung in the air, a rosy tint deepened across Zara's cheeks. She gripped the edges of her old frock tightly in her fingers, as if trying to hide her hesitation behind the fabric.
Keeping her gaze fixed on the floor, she gently tugged at the cloth and whispered, "The clothes I wore yesterday... they were too small for me. I was feeling a bit uncomfortable in them."
Zara took a long breath and let her face fall into a slight pout. Looking at her arms, she let out a soft sigh, "Maybe... maybe I've become a bit stouter than before." There was a strange innocence in her voice, as if she were personally troubled by why Mia's clothes no longer fit her.
Hearing Zara's remark, the stern expression on Kelen's face shifted abruptly. A glint appeared in his eyes, and in the next moment, a light chuckle escaped his chest.
He immediately pressed his hand to his lips, smiling as he tried to control his laughter. "I don't think you've become stout," he said, softening his heavy voice slightly. "I think you are taller than her, which is likely why the clothes don't fit."
Zara knit her brows and looked at Kelen in surprise. "But... Mia and I were exactly the same height before," she argued. "How can you say that my height has increased?"
Kelen's smile was now unmistakable, causing the harshness of his features to vanish entirely. "That, even I don't know—how or when it happened," he said with a playful shrug.
Then, anchoring his gaze into Zara's steady eyes, he said with authority, "Well, it doesn't matter. We will get you some new clothes soon." In the kitchen light, the promise of new clothes seemed to bridge the distance between them just a little more.
Zara slowly blinked and nodded her head in agreement. "Alright," she said in a soft voice. The previous nervousness was no longer present in her tone. Kelen fixed his deep gaze on Zara's damp hair, where droplets of water were still falling onto her shoulder.
"Dry your hair," Kelen said in a commanding yet gentle tone. "I'll be ready shortly. Then we will go to get you some new clothes."
There was a firm resolve in his voice. Zara nodded once more and turned her steps toward the stairs. She felt Kelen's gaze following her until she disappeared upstairs.
As soon as Zara vanished into the shelter of her room, Kelen turned from his spot. He took a long, deep breath, as if steadying the turmoil within himself.
He headed toward the shower room with quick strides. Moments later, the sound of the door closing echoed, followed by the rush of falling water piercing the silence.
Upstairs in the room, Zara picked up a towel and stood by the window. The fresh outside air and the soft sunlight filtering through the pane brushed against her wet tresses. She felt that this morning was different from any morning before.
The thought of going to the city and Kelen saying "we" gave her heartbeat a new rhythm. While drying her hair, she began to gaze out the window at the path where she and Kelen were about to venture together.