I stood before Xavier's chamber door, hesitating, my knuckles hovering midair, unsure if I should knock.
I had promised to visit him after the banquet, but then everything spiraled into chaos. And so, unwilling as I was, I had broken that promise — again.
After returning, I'd been too busy to meet anyone. And now, showing up like this, with a selfish purpose in mind… I couldn't blame him if he hated me.
But I was already here, too late to turn back now. I suppressed a weary sigh and raised my hand.
But before my fingers could touch the door, it creaked open. Xavier stood there, framed by the doorway — his face soft as always, gentle to the point of being painful, and eyes that held the weight of someone always watching from the sidelines.
Yet… something felt different. Like he had known I would come. Like he had always been sitting silently in that corner of the world, waiting.
"Good… evening." I greeted, trying to summon a smile though it felt brittle and uncertain.
