She was genuinely surprised. She glanced toward the clock on the wall—yes, there was a clock, a fancy imported one—and it read 2 AM.
Two in the morning.
Larus smiled slightly, lowering his head as he scratched the back of his neck in an embarrassed gesture. "I heard that you've been working quite hard, and that the servants were already on vacation. So I thought... you might be hungry."
Heena looked at him more carefully. "You've been awake all this time?"
He paused, then nodded. "Actually, I couldn't sleep after what I heard today."
Heena slowly put down her pen and gestured to the chair across from her desk. "Sit. Please, sit."
Larus walked over and carefully set the tray down on the same table where so many papers were scattered. His hands stayed on the tray, making absolutely sure that none of the food spilled or touched any of the documents. Only after he was certain everything was stable did he take his hands away and sit down.
