Selene remained leaning against him for a few seconds more, her head resting lightly on his shoulder while the garden breathed around them in warm, steady air. The frost-flower glinted inside its cube of ice, untouched by the climate that surrounded it.
"What now?" she asked, lifting her head slightly to look at him.
Noel's gaze drifted across the horizon beyond the estate walls before returning to the flowers in front of them. He considered the question carefully, not because he lacked an answer, but because he had already walked through several possibilities in his mind.
"I thought about speaking with Deyrion Neral," he said, folding his hands loosely in his lap.
Selene's eyes narrowed faintly at the name.
"The demon king?" she asked.
"Yes."
He tilted his head slightly, weighing it again even as he spoke. "But I don't think it's necessary."
She watched him without interrupting.
