"Is... is there?"
Hearing Astrid's words, Lyra's expression faltered. She reached out and took the letter from between the other girl's fingers, lowering her gaze to examine it carefully.
Lyra had always checked her letters before, but perhaps because she was the one who wrote them, she never noticed any redundancies or awkward phrasing. Now, after Astrid pointed it out, she realized it truly was as described.
Although not every line bore Astrid's name, it was almost as if she appeared in every other sentence. Even when Lyra had just declared she wouldn't mention her for now, the next paragraph would casually bring her up again.
Anyone reading this letter would certainly assume the writer shared an unusually close bond with Astrid.
Only now did Lyra realize her feelings for Astrid might have been exposed in her letters all along, only her family had chosen not to question it, keeping silent about it.
