After hearing her words Azael decided to thank her.
"Thank you, mother." He said in happy tone.
Azael smiled softly as he said it.
She nodded. Then, after a brief pause, her expression shifted. Something quieter moved into it.
"Though I am a little sad," she said, her tone dropping slightly, "that you didn't bother to tell me yourself."
Azael flinched.
"Mother, it's not like that. I wanted to tell you. I broke through last night. I just didn't get the chance before—"
'Wait,' he thought, genuinely caught off guard. 'Is she sad? Because I didn't tell her? That's... new.'
"It's alright," Aeliana said, before he could finish. Her eyes dropped toward the floor. "I understand. We are not close enough for you to feel like you need to tell me these things."
The sadness in her voice was quiet but real.
And it worked immediately.
Azael panicked.
