I knew dragging her out abruptly like this didn't look good, but I also didn't think having a conversation in front of all those adults would bring the best result. Well, it wasn't very far anyway, just across the second-floor gallery.
"V-Val?" Zia called out to me bewilderedly, but she still followed me well.
Perhaps, unconsciously, she also wanted to leave the room.
Still, somehow, she kept trying to convince me--or perhaps herself. "It's...it's not a bad thing, you know! I will be able to help Sister Aleena more and...and it will be good for me and...and Izzi if I have more authority, you know..."
Honestly, it would be a compelling argument if she wasn't stuttering so much.
I pulled her inside the nursery and closed the door. There was nothing but a white bassinet under a protective sheet in the middle of the room, but it didn't matter. I turned around to hold her shoulders and looked at her keenly.
