Rainard rapped lightly on the door to the guest room, where Tove was quietly seated, before gently pushing it open and stepping inside. With a composed expression, he closed the door behind him.
Tove gracefully rose from the chaise to meet his gaze, and in that unspoken exchange of glances, emotions hung heavy in the air. Her eyes eventually found their way downward, and she spoke softly, "Leaving your own parents, who raised you, doesn't sit right with me."
Rainard, pausing before her, nodded in understanding. "I acknowledge my responsibility to my parents, but they also need to recognize that you've become an essential part of my life," he replied earnestly.
Tove lifted her head to peer into his eyes. "My answer was clear to Master Rainard. Can't he let me go? I can never like him. My heart doesn't permit it," she said.
