'She gave up...' Oswald thought, hardly laughing at his condition. 'She's willingly staying here for me to end her suffering. It's not the first time a woman begs for such a finality but I can't resolve myself accepting it.'
He would do an act of kindness if he accepted Katarina's fate.
Evening approached fast. Oswald had yet to pick up his fork, he wanted to keep as much space as possible in his stomach before the attack. He had stress signs overlapping his calm stance. He scratched his hair twice, trice in a row, bit his nails, tried unsuccessfully to prick the itching inside his nose, he could barely remain immobile.
As Maria de Vera thought she was actually bewitching her guests, the witch hadn't bothered adding any special ingredient, it was a regular dinner, made with a lot of effort and an ounce of love, because the woman had planned her last.