The little ice cream shop was quaint—sunlight pouring in through the glass, the scent of sugar and vanilla thick in the air.
Outside, the summer breeze was perfect.
The whole trip had been.
But inside?
Tension.
Tension like a blade.
Riven and Lira sat stiffly across the table, hands frozen mid-scoop.
Because across from them… sat Selene.
In a sundress and a wide-brimmed sunhat, she looked like a picture of calm summer elegance.
But she was muttering.
Furiously.
"—complete idiot—no common sense—who even does that—I swear if I ever see him again, I'm going to strangle him with his own spell scrolls—"
Lira winced as Selene stabbed her spoon violently into a poor scoop of strawberry.
It had been like this all week.
Every morning.
Every meal.
Every street they walked down.
Every sunset they tried to enjoy.
Kael this.
Kael that.
Riven slowly rubbed his temple.
"I thought this was supposed to be a vacation," he whispered.
Lira sighed. "It was."
