TRAVIS POV:
We slipped back inside like we'd never left.
The corridor smelled faintly of food drifting from the kitchens below. Right on time.
I exhaled slowly, tension leaving my shoulders.
We made it.
Astrid removed the servant cap once we reached her room, shaking her hair loose. The strands fell around her face, and for a second I just watched, forgetting what I was supposed to be doing.
That was becoming a problem.
"Thank you," she said.
Simple. Soft.
But it felt bigger than the words.
"You're welcome," I replied.
My voice came out rougher than I intended.
She smiled again — smaller this time, almost private — and sat on the edge of the bed.
That smile stayed in my mind longer than it should have.
"I'll go get your lunch," I said, forcing myself back into responsibility. "Don't open the door for anyone but me."
She nodded obediently.
"I won't."
And I believed her.
That was the dangerous part.
