[ If Paul pays attention, he'll hear a noise akin to a little laugh before it's stifled into the mound of her shoulder. Is he the one being teased in return? Maybe, just perhaps, she finds that line of reasoning a bit...

...naive?

What a pair they make, experts in their fields. ]

Well, if we both loved each other, none of that would matter. I'd leave it without thinking.

[ Her head's not left the ground without a chance of retrieval, note, as she adds: ]

Except I have a duty to my guardians, too. And they've put aside love...

[ Mostly. Her trailing off hints at complex court "politics." ]