77 : The Dance of Wind

The dim light of the stone room glinted off the pink crystal stones that Emma presented with a flourish. Eric, with a mixture of surprise and curiosity, took them from her hands and inspected them closely, his eyes reflecting the gentle pink hue.

"Where did you get these?" Eric asked, his voice tinged with awe as he turned the crystals over in his hands, examining their every facet.

Ria, standing beside Eric, couldn't suppress a smile. "Did you forget already? These are part of the betrothal gifts my clan offered you. But you, in your noble gesture, rejected all of them for my sake." Her voice was soft but carried an undertone of playful chiding. "However, my mother managed to save a few items from those gifts for me, and these crystals were among them."