= Mikael =
“Ah—of course. I won’t push the matter if A-Alpha Mikael doesn’t approve,” one of the vendors said quickly, his words tripping over themselves as realization set in. He lowered his head at once. “My apologies. I overstepped the boundaries.”
Silence settled in the space that followed.
My gaze shifted to Amara.
She wasn’t looking at the vendor or the girl. She was looking at me. There was something in her expression that caught me off guard—hope, bright and unguarded, and a kind of restrained excitement she hadn’t bothered to hide when the young girl got excited to know that she was allowed to work for her. It was rare to see that softness in her, rarer still to see her ask for something without speaking.
Her eyes searched mine, quietly asking permission for the sudden chang
