"They didn't know what I was doing. Until the day I came home with the papers, they had no idea I wanted them to be noble." She carefully wraps her arms around herself before looking up at him. His smile is appreciated, but it doesn't lighten her mood at all. "I'm sure you're right, but I can't stop worrying. Every day I'm here is just a little longer and my hope wanes a bit more. Holding on to them is easier with the portrait, but it hurts not knowing what's going on back home."

Her gaze drops back down to the tea cup in front of her as she sighs. "I hope this Winter holds out until I'm able to get home. The last thing I want is to greet a Spring without them." There's a bitter edge to her voice as she says that. Spring was always her favorite season back home. Now it's the last thing she wants to see come around.