After Shane's silhouette vanished into the treeline with the horse, a heavy, suffocating silence descended upon the group. Fuyu turned his gaze toward Sara, his face a mask of chilling, expressionless stone. It was a look she had seen before—one that signaled a deep, quiet disapproval more terrifying than any shouted reprimand.
Panic surged through Sara's veins, making her heart hammer against her ribs. She hurriedly began to stumble through an explanation, her voice pitching higher as she tried to justify her impulsiveness. "Fuyu, I—I only thought that since he helped us... I wanted to show that we are superior, that we are generous Lords..." she trailed off, her eyes searching his for any flicker of warmth.
