Rhea didn't rise to the tease, her hands moving with practiced grace. Her fingers slipped over the ties of his cloak, unfastening it with the same silent precision she had once shown with a blade. The cloak slid from his shoulders, pooling at his feet, leaving him in his travel tunic and leather trousers.
As she turned to fetch a clean uniform, Mikhailis studied her. She no longer wore her full knight's armor. Instead, her attire struck a balance between practicality and elegance—an asymmetrical silver-and-blue tunic that hinted at a dress but stopped at her thighs, paired with knee-high leather boots. A single, ornate silver gauntlet adorned her left forearm—functional, enchanted, but far more graceful than her old battle gear. A simple silver circlet held her short, light-green hair back neatly, and her every motion carried an air of quiet confidence. Less bodyguard, more partner—perhaps she always had been.
