Kitsara's ears twitched. Seraphiel straightened slightly, her fingers pausing in Aurora's hair.
Then a man's voice followed, calm and deeply unimpressed.
"And one of her friends is taste-testing ingredients, while the other is braiding her hair… right next to an active cauldron."
The tone was dry, chiding…
And oh-so incredibly familiar.
Aurora's breath hitched. She couldn't turn around. Her limbs felt heavy, as though anchored by invisible weights.
Footsteps echoed across the marble floor.
"You seem to be in a rush… Do you have somewhere important to be?" the woman continued, her voice closer now. "Your timing is precise, but it lacks respect for the craft. You said this is not a kitchen but an alchemy lab…"
"But it looks more like a kitchen to us," the man finished for her. "Your lab should be sacred. Ingredient licking and hairdressing within the premises of your domain should not be permitted."
