The night hung suspended around them, as if time itself had ceased to move forward. The dwindling flames of the burning palace flickered softly, casting subdued shadows that waltzed upon palace grounds.
Caym remained motionless, his posture frozen in a kneel, as he felt Ingrid's gentle lips. It was a scenario he hadn't foreseen, a turn of events he had never entertained the possibility of occurring. Despite harboring occasional and indescribable urges to draw Ingrid into an embrace, the reality of this particular moment was beyond his contemplation.
Ingrid closed her eyes, feeling Caym's warmth in his lips. Perhaps she awaited a potential pushback from him, or maybe she simply wished for the passage of time to halt.
"I'm sorry, Grand Commander," Ingrid thought as she gently pulled away.
