Max shrugged lightly, his expression calm but firm.
"I can return to the guild, sure. But with your mother there? It's impossible."
He sighed, shaking his head.
"She'll kill me the second I show my face—probably before I even take a step inside."
Alice's smile faded, her gaze lowering as a shadow of sadness flickered across her face.
The conflict between Max and her mother…
It was something she couldn't fix.
Something that had torn them apart in ways she hadn't been able to prevent.
Max saw the shift in her expression and sighed softly, squeezing her hand.
"Don't worry about your mother for now.""
His voice was gentle, reassuring.
"Let's talk about you. How have you been?"
And just like that—
They talked.
For half an hour straight.
About everything and nothing at all.
Alice talked about how things had been in the guild since he left, about her training, her frustrations.
