Adrian’s POV
I knew I was too early the moment I stopped at the edge of the path.
Clara’s house sat quiet beneath the afternoon light, the windows open just enough to let in the breeze. There was no sign of urgency inside, no movement that suggested I had disrupted anything important. Still, I didn’t step forward immediately. I stood there for a moment longer than necessary, grounding myself, reminding my instincts that this was not a battlefield and not a negotiation.
This was a visit.
And the difference mattered.
When I finally knocked, I did so deliberately, with the same care I would use before entering a council chamber. Not because I feared refusal, but because I respected what was being offered to me. Permission was not something to rush.
Clara answered, and the brief exchange
