After a few more exchanges, Audrey finally rose from her chair. She gave him a graceful curtsy, her smile soft but lingering, and then turned to leave. The soft swish of her gown and the quiet click of the door closing behind her left the study steeped in silence once more.
Arthur leaned back in his chair, staring at the half-finished notes on his desk, yet unable to focus. A hollow feeling settled in his chest.
Of course, he was fine with solitude. He had always been fine with it. Before his transmigration, he had lived much the same way—an introvert who preferred books to banquets, thought to chatter, solitude to shallow company. He had long believed he could endure a lifetime of silence, so long as he had something to build, something to dream of.
But this time felt different.
