Just as Ariana began to retract her hand, thinking the child would ignore the gesture entirely, Adele unexpectedly reached out and placed a small wrapped candy in Ariana’s palm. Surprised, Ariana looked down at the candy in her hand, her heart melting.

Adele’s bright eyes, gazing up at her, conveyed that the little girl had recognized and accepted her presence.

Ariana longed to embrace Adele warmly, but she restrained herself, mindful of Devin’s watchful presence.

Devin, too, appeared pleasantly shocked by Adele’s swift and open response to Ariana. A swell of hope filled him, suggesting that this new psychologist could truly be a positive, nurturing influence on the reserved young Miss.

Noticing Ariana was perspiring lightly beneath her mask and hat, Devin freshly brewed some cooling chamomile tea and kindly offered it to her.

“Please, remove those stifling things, Miss Edwards. Here, have some chilled tea to refresh yourself.”

With Sadie now absent, Ariana gratefully removed her mask and hat, allowing her face to breathe freely.

into view, Devin’s composure faltered, and he stood there frozen, his normally steady demeanor shaken.

How had she returned to this

of it at the time. After all, it was a

had

noticed Devin’s surprise and found it somewhat puzzling. As Holden’s steward, he should have witnessed

“Is something amiss?

was incredibly flustered and couldn’t conceal his

yet and

have arrived

help but

his passing, what troubled Aldus the most was Theodore’s memories. Aldus knew that Theodore had harbored deep love for Ariana, which was why he had entrusted Devin with the solemn

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