The Long Night (5)

The moon hung in the sky, casting a silvery glow over the landscape below. The air was hushed, as if nature itself had ceased its usual symphony to eavesdrop on the unfolding conversation. The delicate whispers of the night breeze were suspended in time, and the stars seemed to twinkle with a conspiratorial gleam.

Ingrid stood under the celestial canopy, her gaze locked with Caym's intense eyes. Her words lingered in the stillness, creating a tension that wrapped around them like an invisible thread. The atmosphere crackled with unspoken emotions, the weight of their exchanged words hanging in the air.

"You are braver than me, Your Highness," Caym's voice, calm and measured, broke the silence. His face betrayed no emotion, but his troubled eyes told a different story. They held a depth of uncertainty and complexity that mirrored the vast expanse of the night sky.

"I wonder. I thought I was being foolish," Ingrid said with her usual calm smile.