Return of the Legendary Runesmith

"It feels quiet here," Ariana said as she filled the spoon with some broth and brought it to her lips.

Adrian smiled faintly. "I felt it too."

The silence itself wasn’t bothersome—far from it. He and Ariana usually shared dinner in peaceful quiet, and they both enjoyed it. But tonight, the absence felt different. Lately, they had grown used to hearing a certain girl’s voice—one that was always vibrant, expressive, and full of life.

She would praise the food, grumble about eating greens, or suddenly start sharing stories from her past—often without context or warning.

Adrian looked up from his bowl and asked, "Didn’t you say you didn’t like how much she talked?"

Ariana nodded. "The first day, it was a little annoying hearing her whine about everything. But... soon, I started to understand her. She’s incredibly pure. She holds back a lot, but once she’s with someone she trusts, she turns into a chatterbox."

Adrian nodded in agreement. "She stopped trusting people a long time ago. Unless someone gives her a damn good reason to, she never shows her real self. And the way she protects herself—it makes her seem cold and arrogant to others."

Ariana added softly, "To me, it’s her way of pushing people away. She knows the world better than I do, so she wraps herself in a skin no one can pierce. She only shows others the parts of her that make them wary."

Unintentionally, the two ended up speaking only about Annabelle—through dinner and even while cleaning up afterward.

Before long, they were lying side by side in bed, staring at the ceiling.

"She’s a good girl," Ariana murmured. "If you ever decide to make her your bride, I think I could tolerate her."

Adrian turned to her, a little caught off guard. "I don’t plan on doing that."