Lana hesitated, fingers brushing the brooch.
"For now, I won't activate it," she said after a pause. "I want to be sure those three years of protection are truly worth it."
Mr. Crow nodded, agreeing with her caution.
Nearby, Lucy maintained a perfectly neutral expression, as if she hadn't been the one who secretly arranged for the brooch to be placed ten kilometers away, nor the one who made sure Mr. Crow stayed busy for the entire night because of her master's order.
.......
After breakfast, Lana and Lucian rode in the same car for the last time.
Lana stared out of the window, her reflection faint against the glass.
'I still haven't given him the gift,' she thought, a twinge of sadness tightening her chest.
She glanced at Lucian, who sat calmly beside her, composed as ever.
'Maybe it doesn't matter,' she told herself. 'Maybe I should just keep it.'
Just as she reached that conclusion, Lucian spoke casually, as if commenting on the weather.
