Jay looked at her longer this time.
"You go to the garden often," he said. "And the greenhouse. Those are part of the territory too."
Liv gave a small smile. Polite, but it didn't reach her eyes.
"That's not what I mean," she replied. "I want to see… what's real."
Jay set the documents down on the table. He leaned back slightly, studying Liv more carefully.
"For what purpose?" he asked gently. "The air is cold. You need to be careful."
Liv finally turned to face him.
Her gaze was calm too calm for someone who only wanted a stroll.
"I just want to know," she said. "How people live here. How this land truly functions."
She paused, then added softly,
"As the Duchess."
The word lingered in the air.
Jay didn't answer right away.
There was something different in Liv's tone. Not coaxing. Not simple curiosity. It sounded like a request for permission, not as a wife, but as someone who had realized she had been looking away for far too long.
