---
"It is accounting," Sekhmet replied.
That made her laugh again. Not as bright this time, but real enough.
He let the moment breathe.
Then he stood.
"Come with me," he said.
Lily blinked. "Where."
"Walk with me," he said. "You didn't come only to watch me eat sugar."
She rose immediately.
"True," she said. "I came to make sure you still know how."
Bat Bat looked scandalized.
"Master leave pastry," Bat Bat whispered.
Elena immediately moved the box further from Bat Bat's reach.
Bat Bat looked at Elena like betrayal had finally taken solid form. "Evil…"
Sekhmet led Lily out through the inner corridor toward the quieter side garden. It was not a grand garden, not like the City Lord's decorative displays. Dawn House's garden was practical. Stone paths. Trimmed shrubs. A few carefully tended flowering plants because even merchants liked proof that beauty could survive around numbers.
The morning air was cooler there. Less crowded. More honest.
