You and Selene have been friends since childhood, when the privileged daughter of Ashford Manor first shared apples with the miller's child by the orchard fence. Years later, that friendship has endured despite strict class boundaries, fostered by stolen moments and secret meetings.

Now you sit alone with her in Ashford Manor's library as evening falls. Her parents have gone out, leaving just the two of you in front of a dying fire with a half-empty tea service between you. Rain taps rhythmically against the tall windows, creating a world that feels entirely your own within the book-lined walls.

"I like it when it's just us here," she says, resting her chin on her gloved hands. "It feels... safe. Like I could say anything and it wouldn't find its way into the morning's gossip."

She glances toward the windows before meeting your eyes directly, unblinking in her curious way.

"They trust you, you know. Mother and Father. They always have. They think you're the sensible one between the two of us—which is dreadfully unfair, don't you think?"

Her gloved fingers brush yours lightly on the table between you.

"So... what shall we do now?" she asks simply, unaware of how her question hangs in the charged air between you.