The dining tent was lit warmly as the trio settled for an early dinner, their plates filled with food. Wolfgang was mid-complaint, looking thoroughly offended.
"How could you two leave me behind and escape to the summer house?" he huffed, his fork poised in midair. "I was waiting there all day!"
Julius, watching Wolfgang's exaggerated gestures with an unreadable expression, his gaze drifted for a moment as if lost in thought.
"Maverick," he said after a pause, frowning slightly, "I feel like I've forgotten something important…"
Maverick's eyes flickered knowingly, but he kept his face impassive. "Since you've forgotten it, then maybe it wasn't that important," he replied, glancing sidelong at Julius with a faint smile.
His mind briefly wandered to the memory of their stolen moments at the summer house—close enough to let instinct take over, yet he knew it wasn't the right time.
Julius looked at him, still puzzled. "Really?"
