Raena took a deep breath and let it out, trying to calm herself. The garden was quiet and lonely and it reminded her of that night of Kassian’s birthday, so she made sure to take only the paths that kept her close to the castle and avoid water, no matter how shallow. To make things worse, she couldn’t get rid of the sense of alarm after that bizarre conversation with Rissen. The very fact that he was all smiles and his words were sweet and endearing as he asked her about the restaurant… it bothered her more than the thought of drowning.
She didn’t like how he held her when they danced, either — too close and too familiar, almost as if they were more than distant acquaintances. Or so people would have thought while watching them. She doubted he suddenly developed a pleasant personality, so
