Neither answered. Instead, both of them crossed their arms, pushed back their chairs, and stood. Without a word, they turned their backs on him and started walking toward their rooms.
"Wait—hey, are you two not going to eat?" Nolan called after them, his voice filled with unease. They didn't even slow down. The sound of their doors closing echoed in the hall.
Nolan dropped his spoon and buried his face in his hand. "Ah… I shouldn't have said that. Now they're upset. They need to eat to be ready for tomorrow." He turned desperately to Lyra. "Lyra, please—do something about this."
Lyra set her fork down with a small sigh. "Well then, I'm done eating. I'll take their food to them, so don't worry. You just finish your meal. Once you're done, you can head to your room."
Relieved but still guilty, Nolan nodded slowly. "Alright… thank you." He forced himself to keep eating, though the silence in the dining room now felt heavy and strange without Linda and Celia there.
