"Elle... Elle..." Dante gently called for Estelle's attention, his brows furrowed in concern.
They had just returned to the Scabbard Tower and Estelle had dismounted and now stood by a pillar, awaiting Dante.
However, now that Dante had shifted, it turned out Estelle's mind was not even present at all.
There was a faraway look in Estelle's eyes and it took Dante a few calls to draw Estelle's attention back to reality.
"Hmm?" Estelle asked, shaking her head slightly as she focused her gaze on Dante's worried eyes.
Dante could tell Estelle was truly shaken by the unexpected demise of the little girl and he was not certain what he could say to make her feel better.
"Are you alright?" Dante asked carefully, studying Estelle's reaction.
Estelle smiled slightly, a smile that was so obviously forced that even one who did not know her as well as Dante did would be able to tell, that her smile was the farthest thing from genuine.