Kovishik stayed in Hesta's study for about half an hour. Though he tried to linger longer, Hesta clearly seemed ready to end the conversation by the end. Worried that continuing would only annoy her, he pretended to feel unwell and took the initiative to leave.
Hesta escorted him across the open ground outside the main house, all the way to the exquisite four-wheeled carriage drawn by two horses.
The sun was already setting. The farm was especially dim at dusk, and the night concealed the intricate, refined patterns along the carriage's sides, making it appear simple and antique. Only then did the carriage truly catch Hesta's attention—she suddenly recalled a night years ago, at Tangral's estate, when Roger had used a similar carriage to take her and Palan back and forth around the grounds.
For an instant, Hesta felt as if some thread of fate had repeated itself once more, like the faint fragrance that had once lingered around Roger, which she had later smelled again on Gopelin and Ding Jiali. These people did not know one another and lived worlds apart, yet there were always such coincidences, giving them this resemblance or that.
Hesta's sudden silence made Kovishik hold his breath. Seeing that she seemed interested in his carriage, he stepped forward. "Would you like to sit inside? I could take you for a ride—"
Hesta turned and swept her gaze over Kovishik. That look was shockingly cruel, leaving him almost unable to move. It was like a beam of harsh light piercing through him, illuminating every corner of his body and heart.
Kovishik shuddered involuntarily, as if he had suddenly returned to years ago, waiting beside the arena to be chosen by his father. Back then, his father had looked him over in exactly the same way and