“A real date? Does that mean the earlier one was a fake date?”

“It’s just a figure of speech,” Penelope replied, flustered as if caught off guard. She couldn’t exactly call their earlier outing a date—it had clearly been official business. Even Penelope couldn’t stretch the truth that far.

Ahwin knew it all along but had chosen to let it slide. He narrowed his eyes slightly.

“So, where do you want to go?”

“I want to visit your study again. And I’d love to see the city beneath the Tower. I bet it’s snowing there too, isn’t it?”

“If it’s there, I wouldn’t mind,” Ahwin said, his mood visibly brightening as he reached out his hand. Her request seemed to have delighted him. Penelope smiled and placed her hand in his.

With that, Ahwin opened the tavern’s front door. Penelope’s eyes widened in surprise. Beyond the door was not the snowy street outside.