Young Aether had no intention of seducing anyone, least of all his friends' wives or children.
The very thought was absurd to him.
He had never looked at Lily with anything resembling lust or romantic interest. He simply wanted her to feel appreciated, to know that someone had noticed how hard she had been trying.
That was still true now.
He might not have been born in some Brothel City, nor did he pretend to understand every hardship a person could endure, but he could recognise pain when he saw it.
He had seen it in Lily's eyes, buried beneath her smiles and the quiet way she carried herself.
Especially for a child to carry such burdens... that was no simple feat.
People her age were supposed to worry about ordinary things, to laugh without wondering what tomorrow would bring. If someone her age had gone through what Lily had endured, many would have abandoned their families, broken beneath the pressure, or perhaps done things they could never take back.
But Lily hadn't.
