Chapter 76

~ ELARA’s POV

The day's excitement seemed to finally catch up to me. Rufus and I left the storytelling gathering and found a chair to sit on. I leaned back on the chair, letting out a content sigh, but Rufus noticed I wasn’t quite myself. A gentle shiver ran through me, and he saw a slight frown crease my forehead as I gazed upwards.

Without a word, he reached over and draped his coat around my shoulders. The warmth instantly enveloped me, and I turned to him with a grateful smile.

"Thanks, Rufus," I said, my voice a little softer than usual due to the cold.

Rufus simply returned a small smile. "No problem," he said. A comfortable silence settled between you for a moment. I snuggled deeper into the coat, the warmth chasing away the last bit of chill.

"That was a really fun tour," I finally said, breaking the quiet.

"Yeah, it was pretty cool," Rufus agreed. "Though, next time maybe we'll pick a tour that doesn't involve so much walking." He chuckled, nudging me playfully with his sh