Chapter 92: Into the room
Lor and Kiara reached the modest Vayne household as evening painted the sky in bruised purples and burnt orange, the colors bleeding like fresh ink on parchment.
The wood-framed porch glowed gently under lantern light, a soft beacon in the twilight, while a breeze stirred the wind chimes above the door—soft and metallic, like the hum of waiting magic, their tinkling notes a subtle invitation.
Lor didn’t hesitate.
He opened the door and stepped inside, the warmth spilling out like an embrace—the scent of cardamom tea and polished oak filling his lungs like a cherished memory, wrapping around him with familiar comfort.
"I’m home, Mom," Lor called, his voice casual, echoing faintly down the hallway.
A soft shuffle of slippers followed, and then Mira appeared from the hallway, drying her hands on a linen towel, her long black hair loose around her shoulders like a cascade of midnight silk.
She looked at Lor with that radiant warmth—the kind that softened the world for just a breath, her plump figure exuding a maternal glow that made the house feel alive.
"Welcome back, sweetheart." Her gaze shifted to Kiara, eyes widening slightly in pleasant surprise. "Oh—Kiara, dear."
Kiara straightened slightly, not stiff, but respectful in a way Lor hadn’t seen before—her usual predatory edge softened, her sharp face adopting a smooth, pleasant mask.
Her voice came out sweet, almost melodic, a far cry from her classroom commands.
"Good evening, Miss Vayne. How was your day?"
Mira blinked once, then smiled with a glint in her eye—like she wasn’t used to such politeness from the haughty Kiara from two days before, her kind eyes crinkling at the corners.