Leonard walked at an unhurried pace, an ice cream cone balanced effortlessly in his hand. Ahead of him, Dydra moved with a quiet grace, her own cone held delicately while her other hand clutched a stuffed animal close to her side.
When she had first seen it, she had nearly dismissed the idea altogether. An elite—someone so closely tied to the royals—surely wouldn't indulge in something so simple, so ordinary. Ice cream felt far too… basic. Yet her assumption had been shattered the moment Leonard casually asked for two, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
Even now, she couldn't quite wrap her mind around it.
Her steps slowed slightly as her gaze flickered back to him. She watched, almost unconsciously, as he took a small lick from the cone, entirely unbothered by the stares they occasionally drew. There was no hesitation in him, no sign that he found the act beneath him.
It was strange.
Strange… and oddly disarming.
